


Cupid's Brother

by zeerogue



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: ChanHun, Cupid AU, SeYeol, kailu - Freeform, lukai - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 10:35:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 69,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10920087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeerogue/pseuds/zeerogue
Summary: Oh Sehun doesn't like to interfere in human romances, but family habits die hard. What is he supposed to say when desperately in love with love Park Chanyeol begs him for relationship help? As the brother of Cupid, there's only one thing he can do, shoot the arrows of love and make sure he doesn't shoot himself in the process.





	1. “Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.” –Albert Einstein

**Cupid’s Brother**

 

_**1.** _

_**“Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.” –Albert Einstein** _

 

 

1\.          Cupids are not the chubby faced bare bottomed babies with heart-shaped arrowheads, but that presence that walks past you just when you’re at your lowest and you look up. Suddenly, there they are, your true love, and if you ignore that presence, you may miss your one chance to meet them. Oh Sehun has seen it happen one too many times. Walk past your target a second too late and they’ll look up two seconds late. Walk past them early, and you might cause them to literally run into the person of their dreams and if they’re carrying hot coffee, there goes any chance at an easy love life. But, Luhan’s a good cupid. Sehun has seen his brother work wonders where other cupids have gone wrong. He’s even turned that scalding hot argument over spilled coffee into a scalding hot romp in bed, though the couple didn’t become a couple until three months later when the girl found out she was pregnant, but Luhan argued it was all for the greater good of their love life.

 

Part of Sehun thought it was all a bunch of sugar coated bullshit; the rest still found it fun to follow Luhan around on his Love Runs.

 

At first appearance, Luhan looked nothing like what humans thought cupids did. If you were to ignore his baby face and cotton candy pink hair, Luhan, in his jeans and black peacoat people watching on the park bench outside the bubble tea shop Sehun worked at wasn’t strange at all. He didn’t carry a bow and arrows, and Sehun was convinced Luhan had never worn a diaper in his life no matter how many times Luhan persisted that he had indeed been a baby at one point in time. Sehun had never seen a baby cupid before in his past twenty years of life and perhaps that was because none had been born in that time. Cupids were born when an older cupid succeeded in bringing one million romances together. Humans could be stubborn when it came to love, and they could also be cruel so it wasn’t an easy task. Luhan had admitted to only succeeding in a couple thousand, but Luhan was also a good cupid often praised by the elder cupids for his work.  Sehun was not.

 

It was the early afternoon on the weekend and Sehun was just getting off from work. His elder brother often came to wait for him before going on his Love Runs because Sehun would have found him anyways if he didn’t. Sehun purchased their usual bubble teas and walked outside in the cold winter air, hands freezing with the added cold of the drinks. Luhan smiled at him and took his happily, not even a flush on his pale skin though he’d been out here for an hour already. Sehun was a bit jealous Luhan wasn’t bothered by things like weather or fat. He drank what he liked, ate what he liked, and did what he liked. He was a spirit with a vessel made from love and Sehun was only half that.

 

Cupids had children one of two ways—succeed in one million romances or the human way. When a cupid falls in love, he can become fully human and be with the one they love, but any child, though mortal, is still half cupid endowed with certain powers that Sehun rarely used and often forgot about.

 

Luhan stood up and pulled out his small pink notebook where all the population of Korea was written down, some beside each other, some with stars referencing people not in his district, and some in red. He crossed out a couple names; the black ink turning red then flipped a page. There were only a couple hundred pages in the book, but somehow there was always enough room for all the names. Sehun had had a Cupid Book before and it had always driven him crazy. Luhan pocketed the book and turned to Sehun cheerfully.

 

“So, little brother, want to watch me try the impossible?”

 

Sehun raised a brow at his brother. “Is it a homosexual couple again? If we were in a European country, this wouldn’t be so hard.”

 

Luhan laughed. “There are too many cupids in Europe as it is. I’ll just see what I can do.”  

 

Sehun followed behind Luhan as they started down the street. He preferred to walk this way because Luhan was like a shield. He went through life unnoticed. He was a good looking guy, but that was the power of a cupid. You couldn’t get caught hanging around a couple you were trying to get together. People easily moved out of Luhan’s way, even half drunken humans who would have run into Sehun had he not been with his brother. When Sehun was younger, Luhan use to hold his hand, but Sehun went through a bit of a rebellious stage when he reached high school and sometimes he missed how Luhan’s hand kept his own warm. Not that it would do much in that area now; Sehun’s hand was much larger than Luhan’s.

 

Luhan turned a corner and they reached a park. They passed by a tree, a distance away from some guys playing around a bench, sitting on it wrong and drinking alcohol, one even smoking. Sehun thought they didn’t look very old, maybe middle schoolers or first year high schoolers. A man in his late twenties came jogging down from the other end of the park pathway blaring what sounded like Lee Hyori’s new single in his ears, but he could have been wrong, his cupid enhanced hearing wasn’t as good as Luhan’s. He spent so much time focused on the jogging man that he didn’t catch Luhan leaving the spot by the tree and moving toward the boys (not that Sehun ever did, it was almost like cupids could teleport, a power not passed down to Sehun). Luhan appeared behind the smallest boy as he was handed the alcohol bottle, seated on the back of the bench. He pressed his hand against the boy’s back and he came toppling over the bench. His friends laughed and he scrambled up starting to fight with the one he thought had pushed him. The jogging man glanced at them, but continued on getting lost in his music again. One of the boy’s friends pushed him and he stumbled onto the walkway just as the jogger reached them. The man stopped and caught the boy, their eyes met, and Sehun looked away because he never liked those cheesy scenes in movies even if they were more realistic than they seemed at times.  A frustrated growl from Luhan brought Sehun’s attention back to the romanctical scene at hand.

 

The jogger was yelling at the boy’s friends and the boy looked mad yelling back. Sehun listened in to hear that one of the boys had apparently pick-pocketed the man of his Ipod. Looking at the blazing rage in Luhan’s doe brown eyes, Sehun supposed that wasn’t part of the plan. There was someone clearing their throat behind them and Sehun turned to see a shit eating grin.

 

“You cupids should learn one little push isn’t going to make this easy,” Jongin, an anti-cupid said while waving the jogger’s Ipod at Luhan and Sehun.

 

“Jongin, I should have known it was you, you’re always ruining my plans,” Luhan growled and pounced on Jongin.

 

Jongin easily held it high above Luhan as the cupid clawed at his shirt and put the earphones into his ear, bobbing his head along to the song playing. “Of course it’s me. Are there any other anti-cupids in the Seoul area?”

 

Sehun sighed watching the exchange. He had seen it a hundred times already. More often than not, they’d run into Jongin while doing Love Runs. Sehun didn’t particularly hate Jongin, he had known the anti-cupid since young. Apparently he’d appeared around the same time Sehun had been born. Anti-cupids were difficult to explain. They appeared when a cupid failed miserably at one million romances which was just as hard to do as succeeding, or when a cupid fell in love and his love wasn’t returned. Sehun wasn’t sure which it was in Jongin’s case, but it wasn’t like he had a choice in his job. Anti-cupids were somewhat like grim reapers, but where love was concerned. They appeared when a great romance came to an end, either because death or war or some other unforeseen circumstance. They were the ones who cut the so called ‘red string of fate’. They were almost the same as cupids in everything but their jobs and appearance, however, with darker skin and dark hair, though Jongin’s current bleach blonde hair defied that. Sehun wasn’t sure what had possessed the anti-cupid to color his hair. He hadn’t even known cupids could color their hair. (Well, other than Suho and Kyungsoo, but those were wigs, right?)

 

“Just get out of here, Jongin,” Luhan said in frustration pushing the anti-cupid away from the tree.

 

Jongin laughed. “Come now, Lulu, I was just playing. There’s no harm in postponing their romance.”

 

“Yes there is. Do you know how long it’s going to take me to work them into a good relationship? The initial contact has already been made, but still,” Luhan argued.

 

Jongin laughed, eyes glittering as he looked at Sehun’s brother, and then he turned to Sehun and lifted his hand. “You make sure your brother learns how to take it easy when it comes to jokes, alright?” Then he snapped his fingers and was gone in a puff of smoke.

 

“Why does he disappear like that?” Sehun asked.

 

“To annoy us,” Luhan said and pulled out his Cupid Book again. “Just like everything else he does.”

 

Sehun stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked up at the dark sky ignoring the sound of police sirens and the yelling of the jogger at the kids not to run away. There weren’t any clouds out, but he still wondered if it would snow tonight.

 

**❤**

 

2\.          Sehun had the late shift on Sunday. He grumbled about it as he lazed about on the bed all morning watching cartoons on his tablet while his roommate clattered about in her high heels and shorts skirt, running past Sehun’s door every five minutes to get to the bathroom. He wasn’t even sure what she was doing, but it was like this every Sunday morning. He figured it was either a hangover or a search to find her pregnancy pills after an exciting Saturday night. Not that his roommate was a slut, but she was pretty and as much as cupids loved love, she loved the feel of a body against her own. Sehun had fallen prey to that a couple nights, but it was the only thing that kept them from ripping each other’s throats out. That and the fact they wouldn’t be able to pay the bills without the other.

 

She was already gone by the time Sehun rolled out of his cocoon of blankets and got dressed. He hoped he wouldn’t have to close tonight because he had a 9:30 class in the morning at college, but no work after at least. He made sure the shirt and jeans he picked off from the floor didn’t have any stains and didn’t smell like sweaty socks or his roommate’s perfume that, even if he hadn’t slept with her for months, still somehow managed to find its way onto his things. Breakfast was a bother, or perhaps it was better to call it lunch. He made a rice ball with his hands from the leftover rice in the cooker his roommate had probably made that morning to eat with her hangover soup and grabbed one of those American Pop-Tarts from the cupboard to stuff in his mouth after the rice ball was gone. Midnight snacks before bed didn’t really seem to make it all the way until it was time for work.

 

Sehun looked down at his stomach as he walked out of the apartment. He’d never successfully gained the proper dancer abs he had been working for in high school, but that was probably due to all the junk food he ate. He should have stayed with Suho and Kyungsoo when he graduated, at least they made sure he didn’t get fat, but it was annoying watching them being all over eachother and never aging. Maybe he’d move back when he graduated college. Luhan would probably be ecstatic to share their bedroom again.

 

Luhan had abs.

 

Sehun poked his stomach with a distasteful scrunch of his nose. He should have taken Suho up on the offer to buy him an expensive present at Christmas. A gym membership or an exercise machine would have been a good idea. But, so was a 1000 won gift card to the bubble tea place Sehun worked at. He had applied there since he first got done with all his testing to get into college. It had been routine for Luhan and he to get bubble tea when the elder picked him up from school. Luhan said they use to get it with their father, too, but Sehun didn’t really remember, he was only four back then.

 

There wasn’t any wind, but it was still cold and Sehun pulled his beanie down around his ears. He rather it be cold than hot. But, that was a plus side to working in the bubble tea shop; it was nice and cold during the summer. And during the winter, there was more leftover bubble tea for Sehun.

 

The sun was already setting as Sehun started nibbling on his Pop-Tart. Couples were out at this time of day, high schoolers walking from normal classes to lessons and college students coming out for a break before going for late classes and community work. Sehun found it a bit overwhelming, especially when he caught sight of Kyungsoo or Suho doing their runs. He always hid from them. Suho would actually try and start a conversation with Sehun, usually about what he was doing. Kyungsoo would just nag at him for not visiting in so long.

 

There was an alley that led to the back door of the bubble tea shop. Sehun preferred to enter through that way and exit through the front. He wasn’t bad looking. He wasn’t baby faced like Luhan and he didn’t think he could pull off a dress as well as his older brother if that situation arrived, but cupid blood didn’t leave you wanting for looks and it also made it obvious to know when someone was attracted to someone else. Cupids could keep people from noticing them, but Sehun couldn’t and more often then not he felt that attraction being generated towards himself. He didn’t like people coming into the bubble tea shop if they weren’t going to buy bubble tea. However, today the alley was blocked off by an arguing pair of Chinese boys.

 

Luhan had told him he and their father had done some Love Runs in China before, and that was actually where their father had completed his one millionth successful romance which somehow made Luhan Chinese, but Sehun never really understood that. Coincidently, that meant Luhan understood the language, but Sehun had always assumed cupids understood all languages, and in return, Luhan had taught Sehun enough to understand simple conversations. The conversation the two Chinese men were having was not simple, but Sehun could understand enough to know they were lovers here as tourists fighting over lots of things.

 

Sehun sighed. It’d be bad if they broke up in a foreign country. Plus, there were a group of girls staring at him huddled around the shop next to the bubble tea place so he really didn’t want to use the front entrance. Carefully, Sehun approached the fighting couple. The younger one with panda bags under his eyes looked up first followed by the older unicorn looking guy.

 

“Excuse us?” the unicorn guy asked in awkward Korean.

 

Sehun adjusted his beanie and licked his lips. He really hated using his powers, but it was annoying not being able to get to work. He looked them both in the eye and could feel pink glittering around his hands as he reached out and patted them both on the shoulder with a smile.

 

“No, excuse me, I just need to get through,” he said. Whether it was Chinese or Korean didn’t matter, it was the words of a cupid’s influence. “You two should come into the bubble tea shop and share a drink, maybe ask for directions to a nice love hotel.”

 

They blinked at him then nodded and walked around, heading to the front door of the bubble tea shop. Sehun smiled, please to have them out of the way. He paused before walking down the alleyway to the backdoor. Something felt odd. For just a second, he thought someone had been staring at his hands.

 

**❤**

 

3\.          The feeling came again as soon as Sehun had forgotten about it. He handed over a taro bubble tea to a noona when he felt the staring again on his hands. Glancing around the bubble tea shop didn’t provide any answer as anyone who was staring at Sehun was staring at his face. He wasn’t use to people staring at his hands unless they were on a date. He had meant guys who were obsessed with his hands, but those were usually the guys that expected him to jack them off then finger them. (And Sehun did, he wasn’t a virgin by far). But usually it was his face and the constant staring at his hands was unnerving. It didn’t feel sexual.

 

Sehun made himself a chocolate bubble tea when he went on break. He let the shaker finish it off as he removed the bright pink apron from his person that clashed with the strawberry milk shade of his pink hair. He couldn’t complain though; the boss didn’t demand he dye his hair black like they had in high school when Sehun had gotten tired of always having to dye it and he would have felt embarrassed trying to prove to the teaching staff it was his natural hair color (which he could, but he’d rather just shave everything. It was weird to have pink underarm hair). Sehun had once thought to try out for a music company just so he could be exempted from the dress code at school, but then he’d probably get his hair dyed twelve different colors and he wasn’t much interested in looking like a parrot no matter how much he enjoyed dancing.

 

The shaker stopped whirling and Sehun grabbed a straw to poke through the plastic top of the drink. He walked out behind the register just as his co-worker for the night slipped past him coming off from her break, and grabbed his usual seat close to the counter, but out of the way of customers. He could still feel those eyes on him as he held up his glass. Sehun glanced outside. There were many people looking inside the bubble tea shop, but that wasn’t unusual.—a tall guy in a trench coat with a stare like a model, some giggly high school girls, an old married couple. Sehun was in the mind that everyone loved bubble tea, but didn’t always have the time for it especially during winter. Eventually, Sehun just shook it off to paranoia or Suho and Kyungsoo secretly watching him because they liked to do that sometimes. He turned in his seat so he could stretch his long legs out without the interference of the table legs and rested his back against the teal colored walls of the shop, eyes fluttering closed as he let the icy chocolate mixture flow up into his mouth, chewing on a tapioca pearl every now and then.

 

“Are you a fairy?”

 

Sehun jerked forward and started coughing on one of the tapioca pearls. A large hand came down on his back, patting it. Sehun wiped his mouth and turned to see who had asked him such an absurd question. It was the trench coat guy. He had taken a seat in the chair opposite Sehun. Sehun examined the man. His hair was a bright orange-brown and laid flat around his head, looking in need of a trim. Though he wore a fancy looking khaki trench coat, Sehun could see a graphic tee beneath it and worn out jeans. He briefly wondered if the guy wasn’t cold in only that. Then again, Sehun wasn’t wearing much either, but he had the excuse of cupid blood that helped with the weather even if only a little.

 

“Excuse me?” Sehun finally asked.

 

“A fairy, are you a fairy?”

 

Sehun thought about the question. The most obvious assumption was this guy was hitting on him, but he would be a horrible flirt considering how close he was leaning toward Sehun, and his eyebrows were all furrowed up. He looked more like those kids Sehun saw in the game rooms. “Is it because of the pink hair?”

 

The guy’s eyes widened. Wow were they big. Sehun thought Kyungsoo had large eyes, and Luhan’s only looked big because they were all glittery, but this guy looked as if he might not even be able to close his eyes all the way when he slept. The guy started shaking his head.

 

“No, no, it’s just…I saw you talking to those Chinese guys in the alley way. I thought I might help them because the one guy said he knew martial arts and I didn’t want them to get in a fight but then you showed up and just touched them. What did you do?”

 

Sehun slowly took a sip of his bubble tea. So this guy had been the one staring at his hands this whole time? He felt nervous. He’d never been caught using his cupid powers.

 

“Of course I’m not a fairy, I just know a bit of Chinese. I asked them what was wrong. They just wanted directions.”

 

The guy frowned. “But right after you left, they started making out.”

 

Sehun couldn’t help it, he bust out laughing. “In Korea? They can’t go making out in the streets of Korea.” Well, that might have been his fault. Sehun was never good about measuring how much heat he used in surfacing the attraction between two people. “That must have been a site.”

 

The man laughed a bit. Sehun caught one side of his face twitching and wondered if he was just fake laughing.

 

“They were in the alley so no one really saw, but if you’re not a fairy, then a witch?”

 

Sehun raised a brow. “I’m a boy.”

 

“……….wizard?”

 

“The only magic trick I know is how to make bubble tea disappear in five seconds,” Sehun said and shook his empty drink at the man.

 

The man seemed a bit impressed with that, but continued on. “Angel?”

 

“If you call me ‘My Little Angel’, I will hurt you,” Sehun said and stood. “I’m just a normal person. Can’t normal people help fix a lover’s dispute?”

 

The man sighed and slumped in the chair. “I guess.”

 

Sehun smiled and pushed his empty drink in front of the guy. “Throw that away for me will you? I have to get back to work.”

 

He had just turned when the guy, examining Sehun’s empty drink, spoke up again. “But, normal people don’t have pink sparkles glittering around their hands.”

 

Sehun cringed then continued to the counter. Why couldn’t the sparkles be blue?


	2. "What the world really needs is more love and less paper work.” —Pearl Bailey

**2.**

_**"What the world really needs is more love and less paper work.” —Pearl Bailey** _

 

1\.          Sehun’s morning class was Psychology 3. He didn’t know why a junior level class was so early in the morning, but maybe that was because Sehun had been too lazy to take it last semester when most juniors did, but there were only a few weeks of it left. He sat in the back of the class half asleep as he pretended to follow along to the teacher’s lecture. He got home just after twelve which could have given him at least six hours of sleep, but Sehun had stayed up to watch a late night old American movie that he would never admit to Luhan that he watched. He thought he’d do a paper over it later. Plus, he hadn’t seen it since he lived with Kyungsoo and Suho. They liked watching those old black and white romance movies.

 

By the time the professor had ended class, Sehun was ready to go bury himself in his sheets or anyone’s sheets really as long as it meant he could sleep afterwards. It’d been a few months since he’d hooked up with someone. Luhan had caught him and yelled something nasty at him for five hours. But, Luhan wasn’t mortal so he had no sense for the urgency of human companionship. And he was a decade year old virgin (or half a decade. Sehun wasn’t exactly sure when Luhan had been born). Sehun stretched his arms and yawned ignoring the glare the professor sent him. Class was already done so he didn’t have to pretend he was interested. He gathered his books, way too many for how many pages of them he actually looked at, and headed out of the lecture hall and the Human Services building.

 

The wind had picked up since Sehun first woke up that morning. He was always warm when he first woke up and had come outside in just a light coat and t-shirt again, but now he wished he’d at least grabbed a scarf to cover his face from the nip of the winter wind scratching at his face. His eyes followed along the path made around the huge patches of grass the school had planted that students still walked on even though the signs said not to. Occasionally his eyes caught sight of long bare legs that reached up to short skirts and he wondered how the girls handled walking around like that when their upper halves were covered by thick snowman-like coats and earmuffs the size of half their face. He stopped suddenly when a pair of shiny brown shoes appeared in front of him. His eyes traveled up pressed khaki pants to a darker khaki trench coat that seemed oddly familiar, to an expensive looking camera and the collar of a blue dress shirt, and then Sehun saw the person’s face and frowned.

 

“Oh, I found you,” the trench coat guy from yesterday said.

 

Sehun tilted his head. “Are you a pervert?”

 

The guy’s eyes widened making him look all owlish and he quickly waved his hands at Sehun. “No, no, why would you think that?”

 

“Well, you were kind of hitting on me yesterday and now you’re at my school and you’re wearing a trench coat. Only perverts wear trench coats if it’s not raining.”

 

The man started picking at his trench coat. “I wasn’t hitting on you and trench coats are long, I’m long, they fit better.”

 

Sehun adjusted his books under his arm and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not a trainee, I’m a psychology major and sociology minor, so if you’re helping those sasaeng fans, there’s no point.”

 

The man picked up his camera. “This? No, this is because I’m a journalist.”

 

Sehun still found it hard to believe the man, but he looked him up and down again. His hair did look more decent than it had when he saw him at the bubble tea place. “Then that just means you’re either a stalker paparazzi or crazy man who happens to be a photojournalist.”

 

The man chuckled. “Maybe I’m crazy, but I swear, I saw your hands go all glittery and pink.” The man did a sort of spirit finger thing to emphasize.

 

“Right,” Sehun said. He tried to sound uninterested, but his hands were starting to sweat. Luhan had never told him what he was supposed to do if someone found out what he was. “If you’ll excuse me, I need a nap. You might need one, too.”

 

The man shook his head. “No, no, you’re definitely a fairy.”

 

Sehun licked his lips and decided he should just get away. “Okay, I won’t call the police, but you should cut down on the crack. It might make your job easier, but it’s turning your brain to mush.” He tried walking around the guy, but he reached out and grabbed Sehun’s wrist, holding tight. Sehun easily broke free, the guy wasn’t as strong as he looked, but he furrowed his eyebrows seeing a wreath of holly around his wrist and looked up at the trench coat guy curiously. “What’s this?”

 

The guy grinned. “I did research last night. They said you can catch a fairy…or was it elves…this way.”

 

Sehun lifted his wrist and pulled the wreath off letting it fall onto the side walk. “Yeah, I’ve never heard of that.”

 

The man’s face fell the moment Sehun took the wreath off. “But…they said it would work.” He grabbed Sehun’s arm again, examining it. Sehun let him already knowing he could break away easily.

 

“You done?” he asked after a few minutes and the guy was still examining his arm.

 

“Your hair’s pink.”

 

Shit. Usually people didn’t look hard enough to see the baby hairs that covered Sehun’s arm. They were light, almost blonde, and since Sehun shaved the more noticeable parts, he didn’t think it mattered. He pulled his arm away and hid it behind his back, taking a step back. The guy was grinning again.

 

“You’re a love fairy.”

 

Shit.

 

“This is perfect. I was about to give up, but then I saw you helping out that Chinese couple. You can help me out.”

 

Sehun shook his head. “I don’t want to.”

 

“But why~~~,” the man whined. He looked a bit like a kicked puppy.

 

Sehun looked away. His brother liked to use that look, too, and Suho, and Kyungsoo. He sighed.

 

“I’m not saying I’m magical or anything, but why are you so adamant about finding a fairy or whatever?”

 

The guy scratched the back of his head. “Well…I’ve been in a romantical slump for years. I haven’t been able to get a girlfriend since I finished college and…well let’s say my last relationship didn’t end well.”

 

Sehun frowned. “I have no interest in playing match maker.” He started to walk around the guy again.

 

“Why~~~?” the guy whined again. Sehun didn’t turn around. He’d probably be making that puppy dog face again.

 

Footsteps followed him. “Don’t you have to help me? This is about my right to love and the pursuit of happiness.”

 

“We don’t live in America,” Sehun pointed out.

 

“But you’re a cupid; don’t you have to help me?”

 

Sehun paused. Cupid. Did the guy have to use that word?

 

**❤**

 

2\.          It wasn’t as if Sehun had to follow the trench coat guy back to his apartment (at least he didn’t think so), but the compulsion would have probably tugged at him all day. He kept cursing the guy for finally calling him out on what he was. It was difficult for cupids not to want to help where romance was concerned. Suho use to tell him bedtime stories about cupids back before there was technology and people actually paid attention to the paranormal happenings around them. It was a lot harder to hide amongst people back then and cupids did get caught on the occasion, you just had to ask for help and call a cupid out on what he actually was. Sehun had never thought such a thing would have any affect on him since he was only half, but he did feel the compulsion to follow, and even if he had tried to run away, he couldn’t go back to his apartment until later. Mondays were his roommate’s practice and aerobics day. And since she hated getting her clothes sweaty, she usually did it naked.  

 

Sehun had sighed and agreed to listen to the man if he could get a nap on his couch. The man said he could nap in his king sized bed as long as Sehun was willing to help. It was probably more the promise of a bed than the compulsion that made Sehun follow.

 

Why’d he have to say cupid, though? Why couldn’t he have just said love fairy again?

 

Sehun was surprised to see that the man lived in quite an expensive apartment. Jealousy swam in Sehun’s chest just looking up at the building the guy led him to. The house he lived in with Suho and Kyungsoo and Luhan in Gangnam had been huge, but that was a place bought long ago with money they didn’t have anymore so when Sehun left, all he could afford was an apartment close to his school with a girl he wished to tear apart more often than he wished to tear her clothes off. (Much more often.)

 

They took an elevator to the sixth floor. Sehun had tried not to look at the lobby. He had smelled a café and heard a swimming pool running even in winter, but with how splendid even the hall was, Sehun could only imagine how it had looked, and how this guy’s apartment looked. If the guy didn’t seem so crazy, Sehun was almost willing to date him for a week just so he could sleep in a luxury apartment. Then again, looking at the man as he led him down the hallway to the farthest door on the right, Sehun thought he wouldn’t make much of a lover. Sehun had never topped a virgin before, but he hadn’t bottomed his first time and he knew how unsatisfying that could be.

 

And, he reminded himself, he was mad at this guy for saying cupid.

 

The trench coat guy held the door opened for him, and Sehun walked inside with his hands stuffed in his coat pockets. Just as he’d thought, the apartment looked way too expensive. There was a beige couch set in front of a 55 inch television screen. A glass counter cut off the kitchen from the living room, with stools pulled up to it. Three doors lined the back that Sehun assumed were the bedrooms and a bathroom and there was another smaller room next to the kitchen that was probably a closet. Sehun made his way to the glass counter and sat on a stool whistling at all the stainless steel appliances. His roommate and he had barely managed a toaster and a microwave and here this guy had a toaster oven and a double door fridge.

 

“Nice place for a journalist,” Sehun said and tapped the top of the glass counter.

 

The guy removed his coat and moved to the door Sehun had guessed was a closet, hanging it up. He looked a lot more normal without the trench coat now, though his elf live face didn’t really match his long body. “Well, I’m more of a picture journalist than a writing journalist.”

 

“So, you’re a photographer?” Sehun asked.

 

The man moved around the counter, placing his camera down on it and into the kitchen starting to shuffle about. “Sometimes; most of the apartment is paid for by my roommate though.”

 

Sehun looked around and indeed, there was another pair of shoes by the door that looked too small to be this man’s.

 

“He’s a hand model,” the man continued. “Though his face isn’t really well recognized, his hands certainly earn a lot. I met Baekhyun when I was in college right before his big break.”

 

“Wait, you mean like Byun Baekhyun?” he had heard the name a lot in his roommate’s magazines.

 

“Yeah,” the man said.

 

“And that would make you?”

 

The man’s eyes widened and the flustered about. “Oh, that’s right; I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Park Chanyeol. And you?”

 

Park Chanyeol. Sehun looked the man up and down again and thought it fit him. A long, but cute name. “Oh Sehun…and I’m not a cupid, my brother is.”

 

The man, Chanyeol, frowned. “Oh…so that means you don’t drink honey milk.”

 

Sehun looked up to see Chanyeol holding a jug of milk and reaching for a jar of honey. “No,” Sehun said flatly, “cupids drink bubble tea.”  

 

Chanyeol put the milk back and pulled out a box from the freezer. “How about dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets?”

 

Sehun laughed. This guy was obviously a couple years older than him and successful, but he still kept shaped chicken nuggets in his freezer? “Yeah, that’ll do.”

 

Chanyeol went about putting the nuggets on a plate them putting them into the toaster oven. Sehun looked about trying not to let the smell of cooking food make his stomach growl. He actually couldn’t remember eating that morning.

 

“So, it’s not like I have to help you, and it’s not like I had to come here with you, but you’re a bit weird and you’re feeding me so I suppose I should hear you out on what you want at least.”

 

Chanyeol raised an eyebrow at Sehun. “Is it weird for me to believe in fairies and stuff like that? I mean…you’re not human, right?”

 

It annoyed Sehun that this guy had a point. “I’m mortal and that’s all that matters, but why are you in need of a cupid anyways?”

 

Chanyeol smiled, all bright white teeth showing and half his face scrunching up in a charming sort of twitch that made Sehun grimace.

 

“Well you see,” Chanyeol started, “my sister’s getting married next year. I want to be able to bring someone to the wedding with me.”

 

“Can’t you just hire someone to go with you or bring a colleague? Wedding’s only last an hour here in Korea.”

 

Chanyeol shook his head. “They’re having their first wedding in Italy and then they’ll have one in Korea. I want to take someone to Italy with me, have a romantic time after the wedding, and then maybe propose.”

 

Sehun gagged. “Those are some big romantic dreams, but how do you expect to propose to someone after only a year?”

 

Chanyeol sighed. “That’s my problem. I haven’t dated since my first year of college. Since then….things don’t go well after the first date. I had a girlfriend for all of high school and we had sex right after we graduated, but, um…”

 

“You sucked at it,” Sehun guessed. He knew the guy seemed like a virgin.

 

Chanyeol blushed. “She was my first girlfriend. I wasn’t really interested in experimenting or anything. I thought we’d get married so I didn’t want to rush anything. We tried two more times and then she broke up with me.”

 

“Maybe you should try sleeping with more people then,” Sehun suggested. “That’ll give you practice and then you should be able to please any girl.”

 

Chanyeol shook his head earnestly. “No, no, I’m not like that. I don’t want to have sex with someone until we truly love each other…and if I can help it, until we’re married. I want it all to be perfect and romantic.”

 

Sehun slid off the stool and stretched his arms above his head. “You’re an idiot. Just ask your mom to hook you up with a cute little virgin and romance her. Problem solved.”

 

Chanyeol frowned. “My mom doesn’t believe in things like that. Plus…it’s not that easy to keep a girl innocent when I live with a hand model.”

 

Sehun sat back down and raised a brow. “Your friend stealing your girls?”

  


“No, no, he’s gay,” Chanyeol said. “But he’s awfully nice to them and then he’ll talk about all the famous people he’s met and they either fall for him or want someone more famous than me.”

 

“So he basically tempts your girlfriends with someone else?”

 

Chanyeol shrugged. “If they get tempted they probably weren’t a good chose to begin with.”

 

That was one way to look at it. “So what do you want me to do? It’s not like I can make someone fall in love with you. They only powers I have is to bring out the attraction already there between two people.”

 

Chanyeol frowned. “Oh…well, that’s something, right? Can’t you just do that and help me find a lover?”

 

“Like I said, I’m not really interested, but I listened.”

 

Chanyeol suddenly looked serious and slammed his hands on the glass counter. “I’ll pay you. You have to know how it feels to go this long without love…or sex.”

 

Sehun grimaced. He could understand Chanyeol in that respect. He looked around Chanyeol at the shiny toaster oven with the dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets inside.

 

“I’ll think about it on two conditions. 1. I want 100,000 won for each person I find for you, 100,000 won for the first three dates, and another 100,000 for expenses of getting you a successful date.”

 

“So that’s…at least 500,000 won,” Chanyeol said.

 

Sehun shrugged. “You can afford this place, can’t you?”

 

Chanyeol frowned. “What’s the second condition?”

 

Sehun waved at the toaster oven as it started to make crackling noises. “Don’t burn my chicken nuggets.”  

 

**❤**

 

3\.          Sehun bypassed his apartment on the way home. His stomach was filled to the brim with semi-burnt dinosaur chicken nuggets and the twenty different sauces Chanyeol had offered him to dip them in. He may have dipped his nuggets in a few too many combinations because he was starting to feel funny, or maybe it was the compulsion, as he walked farther and farther from Chanyeol’s place. It wasn’t snowing which Sehun found odd for this time of winter, but warm streaks happened. At least he didn’t have to add freezing cold on top of his stomachache. He stumbled up to a house in Gangnam, which wasn’t far from where Chanyeol’s apartment had been, and knocked on the door with his head, hands wrapped tightly around his torso.

 

“Yes, coming,” someone called inside. Sehun waited, softly groaning, for them to answer. A minute later, a man appeared at the door wearing a white apron littered with kisses and hearts. He was on the shorter side, with thick lips and eyes that were wide and both judging and surprised. His hair was red unlike the jet black Sehun had seen the last time he’d come home.

 

“Kyungsoo, who’s at the door?” another voice asked and came to stand behind the first man. He was almost the same height as the first man, but paler and with eyes that always seemed to be smiling. He wrapped an arm around the first man’s waist and looked at Sehun.

 

“It’s just Sehun, Suho,” the first man, Kyungsoo, answered and the wide eyed surprised just turned into pure judgment.

 

“Hey,” Sehun said then groaned.

 

“Oh dear, what did you eat now?” Kyungsoo asked.

 

“About thirty chicken nuggets,” Sehun answered truthfully.

 

Kyungsoo reached out and grabbed Sehun by the ear to pull him inside. Suho chuckled and followed after them, shutting the door.

 

Sehun was led to the kitchen and seated at the little table in the chair he’d occupied since he was able to sit in a chair. Luhan sat across from him scribbling things in his Cupid Book and then looking at his laptop, a bright pink machine with a heart logo on it that you’d only ever be able to find in a cupid’s possession, and about twenty different files spread around him, each a different shade of pink. Sehun had asked once if pink was Luhan’s favorite color since everything his brother had was usually pink, black, or a variation of brown. Luhan had responded, no, that he actually didn’t care for pink. Pink was the color of work. He’d much rather have red which was the color of a human heart, muscles, and blood and those were the physical components of love. The answer had made a six year old Sehun afraid of Luhan for about three months thinking his brother was going to come after him at night with a little knife and carve his heart out. Then again, he had also been watching the Bride of Chucky and Luhan looked an awful lot like a doll.

 

Sehun decided not to stare at his brother encase he started having those nightmares again. He got nightmares when his stomach hurt. He turned toward the cooking area where it looked like Kyungsoo had been cooking supper, but he had taken a break to make some tea that Sehun would fight him before he drank it. Suho hovered around Kyungsoo and whispered things here and there. They were always disgustingly love y dovey. Sehun had never really known of cupids who fell in love with each other, but Suho had said it happened more often than a cupid falling in love with a human. They couldn’t make kids that way, but it did count as a successful romance for both cupids. Sehun knew Suho was an older, higher ranking, cupid than both Kyungsoo and Luhan. His name wasn’t even Suho that was just his title: Guardian. His name was Junmyeon, but since no one else bothered to call him that, neither did Sehun (though he had the feeling Kyungsoo probably used Suho’s real name in bed and that made Sehun want to use it even less).  They had been friends of Luhan’s and his father. They liked to pretend to be human, live amongst the people, and they had taken Sehun in.

 

“When did you buy a red wig?” Sehun decided to ask after enough of listening to his uncle like figures flirting.

 

“I don’t wear wigs, not since the eighties,” Kyungsoo said. “The dye’s just fading, so the color’s red right now.”

 

Sehun raised a brow. “And I thought dye would never work.”

 

“Bleaching works better than dying,” Suho said and brought a glass of water for Sehun to sip on.

 

Sehun nodded and remembered Jongin’s hair. Maybe he was going to dye it blue or green. He was an anti-cupid after all. As Sehun mused he happened to catch his brother’s eye. Luhan was staring at him with a frown.

 

“What?” Sehun asked.

 

“You smell like compulsion. A friend was under it once. It smells like cotton candy.”

 

Sehun frowned knowing he smelled so girly. Honestly, he should probably ask Luhan about the situation with Chanyeol. He still hadn’t agreed to it. “There was a couple fighting and they were in my way. Some journalist guy saw me persuading them to stop and stalked me until I came over to his apartment.”

 

Luhan’s frown deepened. “Did you sleep with him?”

 

“No!” Sehun rolled his eyes. “He’s pretty much straight. He ended up guessing cupid so I kind of just went with him. He just wants a girlfriend he can take to his sister’s wedding in Italy next year. And maybe a girl he can propose to, but because of some bad luck a few years ago, he said he’s not doing to well in the romance department.”

 

“And what did you say?” Luhan asked.

 

Sehun grinned. “I told him an outrageous amount of money he’d have to pay me if I did help him.”

 

Luhan tsked. “Sehun, you can’t charge people for love help, you’re a cupid.”

 

Sehun wagged a finger at his brother. “I’m half; therefore I can do what I want.”

 

Something suddenly whacked Sehun on the back of the head and he saw Kyungsoo standing behind him rolling the end of a towel around his fist again as if he planned to snap it against Sehun’s head a second time. “Be nice to your brother, you know he loves his job.”

 

Luhan beamed at Kyungsoo then pouted at Sehun. He was making that kicked puppy dog face again and Sehun’s stomach twisted more than it already was.

 

“No,” Sehun said.

 

Luhan just ignored him and went on. “Sehun ah~~~, why don’t you help this poor guy as a present for me. It’ll be Valentine’s in just over a month.”

 

“When was the last time I got you something for Valentine’s?” Sehun asked.

 

Luhan glared. “When you use to be cute. Fine, help this guy at least get a girlfriend for Valentine’s and I’ll leave you alone about sleeping around for a year.”

 

Sehun perked up. He wouldn’t get any money out of this, but…he would be able to freely flirt in front of Luhan. “Deal.”

 

Luhan grinned. “Good, now hurry up and drink your tea.”

 

Sehun turned slowly in his seat to see Kyungsoo glaring down at him, towel at the ready to hit him if he defied him. Suho smiled beside Kyungsoo and slowly slid the sugarless pee colored tea in front of Sehun. As he lifted the cup to his lips, he wished cupids got stomach aches so they could feel the pain of drinking this stuff.

 


	3. “True love is like ghosts, which everybody talks about and few have seen.” –La Rochefoucauld

**3.**

_**“True love is like ghosts, which everybody talks about and few have seen.” –La Rochefoucauld** _

 

1\.          Sehun busied himself at work the next afternoon. The snow had finally started coming down again, yet contrary to what Sehun had thought, the line for bubble tea was just as long as the line for hotteok two blocks over. He stood at the mixing machine putting in cup after cup of every colored bubble tea they had, licking his lips, impatient to get a break so he could mix one for himself. A few of the orders he made faces at wondering why anyone would want that particular mix, or the new flavor the owner thought to try selling that wasn’t really worth selling. The girl workers stayed at the register, smiling brightly, and giggling at guys or chatting with other girls. There were about four girls that worked on and off with Sehun, two of them were here today, both the cute type which Sehun supposed is what you wanted for a bubble tea place. He had had to almost beg to be hired. He remembered the interview, insisting that he wanted to work at a bubble tea place because he loved bubble tea, not because he saw that the other workers were all cute girls. It was probably the pink hair that had gotten him the job anyways. It matched the bubblegum teal of the walls, the manager had said. Then he had been allowed to stay on because his face brought in more costumers.

 

“Sehun, can you mix faster? I have five orders backed up,” one of the girls called back to him.

 

The mixing machine whirled to a stop and Sehun pulled the cup out and checked that the plastic lid was secure before handing it to the other girl. “Krystal, I can’t mix any faster, the machine’s doing it.”

 

The first girl just made a face and went back to taking orders. “Then maybe Sulli should put the ingredients in faster.”

 

The other girl hummed to herself. “I’m putting the stuff in as fast as I can. It has to taste delicious.”

 

Sehun just rolled his eyes and handed the next drink out himself. The customer thanked him and Sehun took a minute to catch his breath. The whirling of the mixer machine was still ringing in his ears along with his brother’s words from last night. He had almost passed out after drinking all the tea then spent most of the night with his head in the toilet bowl throwing up. He had made a promise to himself to never eat anything Park Chanyeol touched again, that was, if he even saw the man again. Certainly he could go to Chanyeol’s apartment, he did remember where it was, but that would require too much of him. And if the guy wasn’t serious about wanting Sehun’s help, there was no point in pushing it on him. Sehun didn’t even want to help in the first place; Luhan was making him do it.

 

But then he could have sex whenever he was horny and Luhan wouldn’t nag at him to only do it when he was in love. Which brought up another point. How was Sehun supposed to help a guy find love when Sehun himself had never been in love?

 

It wasn’t that Sehun didn’t believe in it, it was almost impossible not to always following Luhan around on Love Runs, but he just didn’t think he’d ever fall in love. He was half cupid and cupids took centuries to fall in love. Sehun didn’t have that much time.

 

Just as Sehun was about to turn around, he spotted something outside the bubble tea place – the coat tails of a khaki trench coat. He laughed and moved back to the mixer, continuing to glance outside.  The trench coat kept appearing and Sehun could feel eyes, but, unlike last time, they weren’t on him. Sehun looked around the shop and saw a guy in the corner with sunglasses and a hat, scarf covering most of his face. That was a dead give away the guy was famous. He was waiting at the table tapping his foot. In the line, Sehun could see someone that looked like a manager holding a piece of paper with an order on it. Eventually, the trench coat finally entered the shop and Sehun decided it was time for a break. He removed the clashing pink apron and handed it to Sulli then grabbed two cups and filled them up, putting them in the mixer and ignoring Krystal’s glaring.

 

“I’m going on break,” Sehun said after both drinks had finished mixing and used his hip to push the little door that kept them locked behind the counter aside.

 

Chanyeol was at the end of the line. He was looking everywhere but the hiding idol and fiddled with the camera around his neck. Sehun reached up and pressed the cold drink to the man’s neck. Chanyeol yelped like a girl, surprising since his voice was so low, and turned, all wide eyed and surprised at Sehun.

 

“Sehun ah, what are you doing?”

 

“Stopping you from harassing a very important customer,” Sehun said and glanced toward the disguised idol.

 

Chanyeol frowned and looked down at his camera. “I’m working right now, Sehun.”

 

“Uh, huh, I thought you said you were a reporter.”

 

“I’m a photographic reporter,” Chanyeol said with an enthusiastic nod.

 

“Okay, well I’m working, too, but I took a break, how about you?” He waved one of the drinks at the man.

 

Chanyeol glanced at the idol then sighed. “Alright, I’ll take a break.”

 

Sehun led them to his usual seat near the register, but still out of the way, and stabbed straws through both the drinks before scooting one over to Chanyeol. “I hope you like chocolate and if you don’t I hope it gives you a stomachache, but you have to drink it because it comes out of my paycheck.”

 

Chanyeol took the drink gently and swirled the straw around the dark brown mixture. “Chocolate’s alright, but why would you wish a stomachache on me?”

 

“Because of your burnt chicken nuggets, that’s why,” Sehun said and felt some satisfaction with the guilt that spread on Chanyeol’s face.

 

“I…I’m not the best cook.”

 

“Well that’s something we’ll have to work on if you want to woo a girl correctly,” Sehun said.

 

“Oh I…I can’t pay the amount you want, Sehun. Could you give me a discount?”

 

Sehun sighed. He had given such an outrageous price so he wouldn’t have to do this. He sipped his drink as if thinking then nodded. “I’ll do it for free, but I’ll only get you a Valentine’s, whether it lasts longer than that is up to you.”

 

Chanyeol beamed at him. “Really? Any little bit will help, but I thought you didn’t want to?”

 

 

Sehun sighed. “My brother likes hopeless romantics.”

 

“Your brother, the cupid?”

 

Sehun nodded. It only took a few more sips of his bubble tea before it was all gone and he stood. “I’ll go to your place Friday night and we can discuss how to go about this.” He stood and started for the register again, seeing as the girls were going crazy with orders. Park Chanyeol left a couple minutes later and when Sehun looked around, so had the idol.

 

**❤**

 

2\.          Sehun opted for Chanyeol’s tan faux leather couch this time when he entered the apartment. He had come straight after his late class even though honestly his late class had ended over an hour ago. Truth be told, he got lost a couple times trying to find the expensive apartment building again. There were about then around this area and they all looked the same. Chanyeol didn’t seem to notice he was late. As soon as Sehun knocked, Chanyeol was all white teeth twitchy eyed with excitement. He still had on his work clothes, bright colored dress shirt and khakis, trench coat off though replaced with an apron. Sehun watched the man warily as he headed back to the kitchen. He could smell something cooking and his stomach lurched from the memory of last time.

 

“I’m not eating anything you cook, Park Chanyeol,” Sehun said peeking from over the top of the couch at the kitchen.

 

Chanyeol gave a nervous laugh. “It’s just pizza. I’m warming it up in the microwave.”

 

Sehun perked up a bit. “What kind of pizza?”

 

“Pizza Baekhyun ordered earlier for lunch but didn’t finish.”

 

“Yay leftover pizza,” Sehun said unenthusiastically, but honestly leftover pizza was almost as good as fresh pizza.

 

Chanyeol brought the pizza over after a couple minutes, two plates piled high with cheese and meat and pepperoni all in American style and Sehun could feel his mouth watering. He greedily reached out and started to fold the triangles into rolls so he could gulp them down. Chanyeol went to the kitchen and came back with water. Sehun swallowed a large piece and reached out for the water before he could start choking.

 

“No soda?” he asked.

 

“Ah, Baekhyun doesn’t let junk food in the apartment,” Chanyeol said.

 

Sehun raised a brow. “A hand model will order three pizzas and let you burn chicken nuggets, but calls soda junk food?”

 

Chanyeol laughed. “I don’t really understand either. I think his manager’s putting him on a diet or something. And pizza isn’t junk food. In America, they classify it as a vegetable.”

 

Sehun lifted his water in a sort of salute. “I’m moving to America.”

 

“I heard they don’t have bubble tea in America,” Chanyeol said and leaned forward to take his own slice.

 

Sehun gasped. “They have to have it somewhere. It’s inhumane if they don’t.”

 

Chanyeol just shrugged and chewed happily on the pizza. Sehun watched him a bit. It was kind of like watching a puppy chewing on a bone for the first time. He had the urge to reach out and pinch the elder’s ear. They were large and puppy-like. He wondered if this resemblance might help with getting him a girl. Girls liked puppies, right?

 

“You look like a puppy,” Sehun finally said.

 

Chanyeol turned all wide eyed and stuff. Sehun ignored the confused innocent look. Kyungsoo had large eyes, too, and he use to give Sehun that look all the time when he was younger. Now, it was wide eyed judgment.

 

“A puppy?” Chanyeol asked. “My friends use to say I looked like Dobby the elf.”

 

Sehun studied Chanyeol again the nodded. “That too, but more like a puppy. Girls like puppies.”

 

“I’m too tall to be a puppy,” Chanyeol protested. Sehun could see him pouting in his peripheral.

 

“Some girls like big puppies. Anyways, that’s not what matters right now. What I need to know is what you like in a girl,” Sehun said.

 

“What I like?” Chanyeol wiped his hands on a napkin and leaned back on the couch, long arms splaying out. One of them landed behind Sehun’s shoulder and Sehun scooted up on the couch, reaching out for more pizza.

 

“Yeah, just give me some points so I know what I’m looking for.”

 

“I like…sweet girls,” Chanyeol said with an affirmative nod of his head.

 

Sehun licked his fingers of pizza sauce and guzzled down more water. “And what exactly is a ‘sweet girl’?”

 

“I don’t know…like my sister I guess.”

 

Sehun threw his empty water bottle at Chanyeol’s head. “I’m not hooking you up with your sister, that’s incest.”

 

Chanyeol rubbed his head. “Hey, don’t hit your elders.”

 

“I was just trying to help get your brain working. What about that girlfriend you had? What about her did you like?”

 

“Oh, she was really nice to everyone and she acted really delicately. She thought very deeply about things before doing them. She was mediocre at studying, though. She liked animals and being outside. Oh, and she could sing. I use to play the guitar for her in the park and she’d sing. She was really good, but she never got scouted or tried out. I think she went to school to be a nurse.”

 

Sehun nodded. “So you like girls who are charitable, like animals, outside, and sing well.”

 

“Well…I guess that doesn’t sound bad,” Chanyeol said. “They’re good traits, right?”

 

“I suppose,” Sehun said and picked off the pepperoni from a slice of pizza.

 

“What do you think is good in a girl?”

 

Sehun looked up. “I don’t really think about those kinds of things.”

 

“Oh, that’s right. You’re a cupid, you probably can’t be biased.

 

“No, that’s not it,” Sehun said. “I just don’t have any interest in my own romance.”

 

A grin spread across Chanyeol’s face. “Does that mean you’re a virgin, Sehun?”

 

Sehun raised his eyebrows then laughed hard. “Me? A virgin? Far from it.”

 

Chanyeol pouted. “Oh…I thought…but then you must have had a girlfriend.”

 

Sehun shook his head.

 

“A…boyfriend?”

 

Sehun grinned, but shook his head again.

 

“Then how in the world did you manage to have sex!” Chanyeol whined.

 

“I’d call them lovers I guess. There was no love involved. Just people that I got along with and was willing to have sex with.”

 

“How many have you had?” Chanyeol asked.

 

“Not counting the one night stands last year?  I had about two a year, so eight?” Sehun said he could feel Chanyeol looking at him incredulously. “Do you want to know who my first was?”

 

Chanyeol nodded. “I mean that one must have been romantic at least, it was your first.”

 

Sehun sent the elder a devilish grin. “Homeroom teacher my freshmen year of high school. She was twenty-six and had really big boobs. She was supposedly engaged, but no one saw her fiancé ever.  Close to the end of the year, a boy confessed to me so I stopped with her.”

 

Chanyeol was coughing on his pizza. Sehun handed over the older guy’s water and waited patiently until he was done.

 

“Your teacher? Isn’t that illegal?”

 

Sehun shrugged. “She was the one that was going to go to prison, not me. And it felt pretty good so what did I care. I’ve known since I was younger that I didn’t want to fall in love so I’m fine with those kinds of relationships.”

 

Chanyeol sighed. “I could never do that, I love love, but why….you’re a cupid.”

 

Sehun took another slice of pizza. He’d probably have to get indigestion medicine on his way back to the apartment. “Let’s just say, when a cupid falls in love, they fall hard.”

 

**❤**

 

3\.          Luhan was waiting for Sehun at his apartment. Sehun fiddled with his key outside the door sensing the other’s presence on the other side and thought about maybe going back to Chanyeol’s and lying that he’d locked himself out of his apartment, but Luhan called out to him, threatening to shove an arrow up his butt next time he saw him on the street if he didn’t come inside. He’d once stabbed Luhan with a butter knife to see if he’d bleed pink. (Conclusion: cupids healed much too fast to bleed, so for all Sehun knew their blood could be pink, but they definitely felt pain if you stabbed them.) Luhan was always itching for a reason to get back at him for that. And he actually did own arrows, for what, Sehun didn’t know, but he’d seen them in the cupid’s closet when he was younger, and wouldn’t chance it.

 

Sehun opened the door slowly and turned to the little mirror his roommate had set up next to it to check for any pizza sauce or indigestion residue on his face. Luhan would call him sloppy if he didn’t look clean. Cupids were terrible clean freaks, except Suho; Suho liked to just throw his clothes in a pile, a very neat pile. He turned back was he was sure Luhan wouldn’t drag him into the bathroom and wrestle him into letting his elder brother bathe him like a five year old. Luhan sat demurely on Sehun’s ugly sofa that Sehun didn’t even sit on because he’d caught his roommate having a threesome on it once. It wasn’t pretty and the next day she announced she’d never do it again. Sehun also decided he’d never have a threesome. It seemed like too much work. Luhan’s hands were folded on his lap, pea coat still on, and he smiled up at Sehun.

 

“Hello dear little brother, how are you tonight?” Luhan asked.

 

Sehun ran a hand through his hair then yawned. “Tired, obviously.”

 

“Well, you’re going to have to go make yourself some coffee because you’re staying up a bit longer to help me,” Luhan said with a roll of his eyes.

 

There was a coffee table in front of the couch and Sehun noticed a few books lay across it, books Sehun hadn’t seen since he was a child and he groaned.

 

“Now, now, don’t fret. You can at least amuse me and pretend to study up on matchmaking. You are still doing it right?”

 

Sehun moved past Luhan to the tiny kitchen in the back of the apartment and found some instant coffee. He warmed up a glass of water and poured the packet in, drinking it straight up black, which was nasty, but they were out of milk and the only sugar they had was fake or in the form of sprinkles. He sighed after the initial caffeine shock was gone, the warmth of the drink spreading through him, relaxing his bones from the tightening the cold weather outside had caused.

 

“Yeah,” he said when he came back and sat down on the opposite side of the coffee table, “I’m still doing it. I just had a discussion with Park Chanyeol on what he likes.”

 

“Park Chanyeol? Isn’t he older than you? You should call him hyung then,” Luhan said.

 

Sehun peaked up at Luhan as he took another sip of his black coffee. “We’re not that close and I rarely even call you hyung.”

 

“That’s because you’re a brat,” Luhan said and reached over, tapping one of the books on Sehun’s head. “What did he say about his ideal type?”

 

“Eh, sweet, cute, loves animals and outside, and sings well,” Sehun answered.

 

“And appearance wise?” Luhan asked.

 

Sehun shrugged. “I figure all girls like that look the same. If that doesn’t work, I’ll ask him about appearance.”

 

“You should have asked about appearance,” Luhan said and pointed to the first chapter of the first book. “You don’t remember? If someone looks pleasing to you, you can usually find things about their personality that’s pleasing and it doesn’t take as long to take an interest.”

 

“It’s not like I’m going to set him up with an ugly girl, Luhan. There aren’t that many ugly girls anyways.” Sehun reached out for the book and started flipping pages.

 

“By your standards, yes, there aren’t many ugly girls,” Luhan said.

 

Sehun put the book down and leaned his head on his hands, elbows on the coffee table. “You said you needed my help, hyung.”

 

Luhan blinked at Sehun, eyes that literally glittered with love and innocence and a million stars and any other way you could ever describe eyes in a romance novel staring at Sehun before crinkling as Luhan smiled remembering what he had wanted. “Oh, right. I have a case were two people started their romance before they were ready for it and now they’re divorced, but the Cupid Book says they’re supposed to meet in three months. I need to find the chapter that talks about lovers that are already divorced and what I’m supposed to do to get them back together. It’s really frustrating, too, because the guy cheated on her with an older woman, but now she’s the same age as that woman was when he cheated. And last week I just finished a case with an old woman and a boy thirty years her junior. Do you know how hard that is to do? And then Kyungsoo goes and dumps another case on me that’s due next week because he wants to go to Japan for a couple days with Suho since they won’t be able to do anything for Valentine’s Day. Can you believe that?”

 

Sehun sighed and slapped Luhan’s hand away when his brother reached for another book. “When was the last time you slept, hyung?”

 

Again, those eyes blinked, but instead of smiling, they looked down guiltily. “Cupids don’t have to sleep really.”

 

“When?” Sehun repeated.

 

“Last week,” Luhan answered in a small voice.

 

Sehun pulled all the books to himself and stood. “Go back to the apartment, Luhan, before you turn into a ghost. You know the less sleep you get; the easier it is to see you. And you start complaining a lot. Go to bed then ask that other half cupid friend of yours to play soccer soon, you could use some exercise before your busy season begins.”

 

Luhan sighed and stood up, pushing his frosting pink bangs out of his eyes. “You’re right. There’s just been a lot on my mine. If you promise you’ll look through those books, I’ll go home and try to sleep for a couple hours.”

 

Sehun lifted up his pinky. A grin crossed Luhan’s lips and he wrapped his own pinky around Sehun’s. “Just like when you were a baby.”

 

“I’m not a baby anymore,” Sehun said pulling his finger away.

 

Luhan raised a brow. “Oh, I’m quite aware of that.” He lifted his hand and ruffled Sehun’s hair. “Take a bath, too, you smell like pizza and whatever that man’s place smells like, some kind of expensive cologne.”

 

Sehun lifted up his arm and sniffed his jacket. There was an odd smell there. He turned to say something to his brother, but the cupid was already gone. Sehun sighed and headed for his bedroom.

 

Cupids weren’t very good at goodbyes.

 


	4. “True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked.” –Erich Segal

**4.**

_**“True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked.” –Erich Segal** _

 

1\.          Sehun went to work at noon on Saturday. He had promised Chanyeol a Sunday date which was stupid of him, but with the schedule he had made late last night determining how he would have to go about getting the older man a lover by Valentine’s, a Sunday date was already playing it pretty close to the deadline. It was already January. There was only a month until Valentine’s, so Sehun decided to dress nicely for work. In a mostly unwrinkled white button up shirt, peacoat that matched Luhan’s he never wore, and jeans that still had the price tag on the band, he came into work. It was rowdy on Saturdays even in winter and maybe that was because people liked to drink something milky with their hoddeok they got after waiting in the long line for the vendor on the other block. The moment Sehun made his way to the register; Krystal removed her pink apron and pushed it into Sehun’s chest.

 

“You should have been here five minutes ago,” she said.

 

Sehun checked the clock placed above the shaker machine. “I still have a minute until my shift.”

 

“On Saturdays we come in five minutes early so the others can leave five minutes early,” she said.

 

Sehun rolled his eyes and pulled the pink apron over his head, removing his coat before tying the hot pink strands around his waist. Another girl was happily taking down the orders and sorting out the money handed to her. She sent a quick smile at Sehun before going back to work. He nodded and picked up the first order beginning the mixing of all the different drinks he knew by heart only looking up the new ones the owner always thought would be fun to add. After an hour there was a lull in customers and Sehun took that time to mix himself a drink and filled out an IOU.

 

“Hey, Luna, slip this into the register,” Sehun said handing the other worker a little slip of receipt paper.

 

She reached back for the paper, but didn’t look at him. “You’re racking up too many IOUs for drinks, Sehun.”

 

“I like bubble tea and the manager doesn’t mind because she just takes them out of my paycheck.”

 

Her shoulders sagged a bit, but didn’t reply. Sehun frowned. The girls he worked with were usually very cheery, even Krystal when she first started her shift. He could never really complain, and they weren’t bad to look at either, but contrary to how Krystal had greeted him when he first came in, Sehun felt like something was off.

 

“You’re not very sunshiny today, Luna,” Sehun said.

 

Luna’s hands went to her face, slapping lightly. “Am I not? I thought I was good at acting.”

 

“You are, but I don’t like acting,” Sehun said and took a sip of his drink. “What’s wrong? Girls like to chatter about these things, right? I’m sure you were talking about it with Krystal before.”

 

Luna laughed and turned to Sehun. He could see a bit of misery on her face. “Yeah, I’ve talked to them all since then, but only the manager has ever had a boyfriend before, so they weren’t much help.”

 

Sehun’s eyes widened a bit. Boyfriend troubles. “I’ve had…relationships. What happened? You had a really cute boyfriend, Jinki or something.”

 

“Yeah, he was really nice, but we broke up. His family has a collection of unnies they want him to marry that are richer and I knew about it, but the only way I could have stopped it was to marry him. We were only dating for five months. I need at least a year to decide if I want to marry someone and then there should be another year until the wedding, don’t you think.”

 

Sehun didn’t really care for weddings. Luhan loved them though. Quite a few romances started at another’s wedding so he was always dragged along when he was little and got hit on by all the flower girls. Weddings were also places were romances ended. Sehun remembered seeing Jongin there, his hand held by an older anti-cupid teaching him the ropes.

 

“Were you in love with him?” Sehun asked.

 

“Not the kind of love where you get married. It’s been a couple weeks; actually, you and I just haven’t gotten to work together since it happened. Winter’s such a bad time to break up, though. I already spent New Years alone; I don’t want to spend Valentine’s alone, too.”

 

Sehun suddenly grinned. “I know someone who’s looking for a girlfriend.”

 

Luna leaned against the counter and examined Sehun’s face curiously. “I’m not sure if I’m ready for another relationship.”

 

Sehun waved his bubble tea at her. “You’re exactly what he was talking about to me – a cute girl that likes music and outside.”

 

Luna laughed. “I am a music major and I do love going outside. What does he look like?”

 

Sehun took a sip of his bubble tea again then answered. “A puppy, a very tall puppy.”

 

Luna’s laugh turned into a giggle. “He sounds adorable. How tall?”

 

Sehun put his bubble tea cup on his head exaggerating the height difference between Chanyeol and him. “A bit taller than me. And he’s a photographer, so you guys could go outside and he’ll take pictures of you in the snow.”

 

“That sounds romantic. I didn’t know you knew about romantic stuff, Sehun,” Luna said. “You’re always brooding beside the shaker machine.”

 

Sehun’s straw gave that airy sound of emptiness and he glared down at his cup. “I know about romance I just don’t care for it. So, what do you say? You don’t work tomorrow night, right? You two can meet up and talk.”

 

“I’m tempted,” Luna said, “but he’s not, like, trying to find a wife or something. Not just any girl he gets along with will due?”

 

Sehun threw the empty drink in the trash by the register. “No, I don’t think he believes in love at first sight. He said he’d wait a year before proposing to anyone, but I think he’s a really big romantic.”

 

Luna nodded as people started filing up to order again. “Alright, I’ll meet him. He seems completely opposite to you, and if he’s a friend of yours, that means he must be something.”

 

Sehun felt like he’d been made fun of, but let it go. Chanyeol was not Sehun’s friend. He was just some guy that was in love with love and Sehun was the brother of cupid.  He was just caught between love and an idiot.

 

 

**❤**

 

2\.          “Oh, you look snazzy.”

 

Sehun turned hearing the voice to find his roommate leaning against the doorframe, her hair ruffled up like a bird’s nest wearing only a long t-shirt that Sehun wondered if it was his. He rolled his eyes and adjusted his polka dotted bow tie. “What do you want, Hyuna?”

 

His roommate crossed her arms and grinned at him. “The use of the bathroom, but I can wait if you’re getting ready. Where are you going?”

 

“On a date,” Sehun said.

 

“Ooooh, what’s he like? Do you want to bring him back here after and share?” Hyuna said. She seemed to be in one of her playful moods.

 

“I’m just going to observe a date. I helped someone get one and now I have to see how he screws it up,” Sehun explained.

 

Hyuna pouted. “That’s boring.”

 

“Yes, well, I made a promise with my brother to help him,” Sehun said and straightened out his cardigan before adding a few finishing touches to his pink hair.

 

“I’ve never met him, but your brother sounds like a pay in the ass.”

 

Sehun chuckled. “More like a pain in the chest. He’s coming, too, though.”

 

Hyuna moved out of the doorway so Sehun could get by. “You done?”

 

“Bathroom’s all yours. Don’t play in there for too long,” Sehun said as he headed for the front door of the apartment. His roommate yelled something after him, but he didn’t hear her, already in the hall with his peacoat and shoes. He slipped them on before heading to the elevator.

 

Chanyeol had gotten a reservation at a medium priced restaurant and then after, he planned to take his date walking around the park. Sehun had been a bit impressed by the simple perfection of the date. Food was the way to anyone’s heart especially food that was more than a hamburger, but not expensive enough to make them feel guilty about eating it. And a walk in the park was good, or even better, in the winter were people unconsciously moved closer to each other for warmth. When Sehun got outside, there was still a good blanket of snow on the ground and he wondered if Chanyeol and Luna would have a snowball fight. Sehun enjoyed watching people throw snow at each other. The only downside was that Chanyeol had forgotten to reserve Sehun a table as well. As if Sehun was going to sit beside Chanyeol while he flirted with his co-worker all night!

 

It had been hard to reserve a seat in such a short notice when Sehun had asked Chanyeol about it the previous night when he had confirmed there would be a date coming, but Luhan was good with that sort of thing. It hadn’t been Sehun’s first thought to bring his brother along, but perhaps things would go more smoothly with a more powerful cupid in the vicinity.

 

Luhan stood outside the restaurant, blowing air into his mittened hands as if he could actually feel the cold air. Sehun rolled his eyes seeing his brother pretending to act human. He couldn’t see what the point of it was when Luhan could just use his usual ability of being unnoticed, but he guessed cupids liked being noticed sometimes. And maybe he liked the feeling of his hot breath on his hands; Sehun didn’t know his brother’s kinks neither did he want to know what things turned his baby pink virgin of an elder brother on. Such thoughts were making him loose his appetite and he hadn’t eaten much all day in preparation of the full course meal Chanyeol had promised him in exchange for tagging along.

 

“Your lover boy is already here, you’re late,” Luhan said.

 

Sehun lifted a brow. “Chanyeol’s here already?”

 

“Yeah, he’s inside waiting. The table’s not ready and the girl hasn’t shown up. I think he’s getting antsy,” Luhan said. “I fear he might run away.”

 

Sehun peeked inside the restaurant to see the tall figure of Park Chanyeol pacing back and forth at the cashier’s desk. Really, he was much too big to be doing that and a few strands of his jelled back hair had already fallen forward. “I swear I’ll kick my foot up his asshole if he tries to run away.”

 

“Maybe you should try calming him down since he’s your friend, give him some pointers.”

 

Sehun eyed his brother. “We’re not friends; you’re just forcing me to help him.”

 

Luhan reached out with his pen calloused hands to push Sehun toward the restaurant doors. “Fine; you’re his cupid so go help the poor fellow out.”

 

Sehun walked into the restaurant. His stomach gave a lurch at the smell of food that suddenly met him. He stuffed his hands in his peacoat pockets to steady himself and walked up to Chanyeol. He lifted one foot and let the taller man trip of it as he paced. Chanyeol stumbled a bit, but luckily did not run into anything. He turned around with wide nervous eyes at Sehun.

 

“If you don’t quit pacing, I’ll call Luna and then she really won’t come.”

 

Chanyeol looked down sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I just…I haven’t really dated in so long and it’s been even longer since I’ve had a successful date. Even Baekhyun chastised me before I came.”

 

Sehun looked the other man up and down. He wore his trench coat like usual, but he had decent looking jeans and a dress shirt with cute patterns on it. “Was he the one that dressed you?”

 

Chanyeol pulled his trench coat opened a bit and looked at his clothes then covered himself. “Yeah; I feel like I’m wearing my work clothes, though. He said what I had on wasn’t appropriate for a first date at a restaurant.”

 

“What did you have on?” Sehun asked.

 

“Hip Hop style.”

 

Sehun frowned. “You should probably go with what the hand model suggests.”

 

Chanyeol nodded. They both stood there for a few minutes in silence. The elder brought his hands in front of himself and twiddled his thumbs together like a toddler. It annoyed Sehun a bit, but at least it was better than the pacing.

 

“What’s she like?” Chanyeol finally asked breaking the silence.

 

Sehun sighed. He’d already told Chanyeol about Luna at least six times since last night. “Park Chanyeol, even if you don’t go on a second date with her, I don’t think this date will be a horrible memory.”

 

Before Chanyeol could say something more, a voice exclaimed much louder than necessary, “Oh, Luna! So good to see you here.”

 

Sehun turned to see Luhan leading Luna into the restaurant. She wore leggings, a warm dress, and a smile. “Oh, Sehun, you’re here, too.”

 

Sehun nodded and moved to stand next to Luhan.

 

“Yes, we’re having a brother date while you guys are on yours. Moral support, guys need it, too,” Luhan explained.  

 

Sehun gestured toward Chanyeol who stood off to the side trying to imitate a tall plant. “That’s Park Chanyeol.”

 

Luna turned and made a little ‘o’ shape with her mouth. “Goodness, you are tall.”

 

Chanyeol smiled awkwardly at her, all teeth showing like some sort of white beacon. He bowed. “Park Chanyeol.”

 

“Luna,” she greeted back.

 

Two waiters came to escort them to their tables. Sehun made a shooing motion at Chanyeol and the older man seemed to straighten up, offering his arm to Luna who took it with a giggle.

 

“Well, he seems like a tall, handsome, gentleman; I don’t see why he would have a problem getting dates,” Luhan observed as they were led to their own table with Sehun wondering why Luhan was clinging to his arm as well.

 

“It’s because he’s a big puppy,” Sehun said, but honestly, glancing at the two already seated a few seats away, he wondered that as well.

 

What could possibly be wrong with Park Chanyeol?

 

**❤**

 

3\.          Quick glances toward Chanyeol’s table told Sehun the taller man was doing fine. Luna and he were both laughing as they ate and shared a suju bottle. Sehun’s eyes lingered more on the suju bottle the longer the hour and a half planned for the dinner seemed to take. Luhan was always against letting Sehun drink alcohol even if he legally could, and it wasn’t like there was a drinking age for cupids anyways. When Sehun looked over at the table again after the hour had struck, there was no Chanyeol or Luna in sight. He kicked Luhan under the table just as his brother finished up a large hamburger making him choke a bit then gestured to the door.

 

Outside, Sehun found Chanyeol shoulder to shoulder with Luna on a bench talking animatedly. Luna was the first to see them and she smiled before standing.

 

“We were finished, so we decided to come out for a little bit,” Luna said.

 

Sehun glanced over at Chanyeol who had a red flush on his cheeks. He wondered if it was just from the cold or because Sehun had picked the perfect girl on the first try. “You could have just gone on without us. You two seem to be getting along just fine.”

 

Luhan jumped on his toes beside Sehun, smiling like an idiot. It was starting to annoy him. He knew what his brother wanted by the action, he wanted to say something that Sehun probably wouldn’t like. Luckily, he kept his mouth shut and walked slow enough that they could leave Chanyeol and Luna some privacy as they headed to the closest park.

 

“I still don’t understand why he needed me to find him someone to date; he seems to be doing just fine,” Sehun said waving his hand at the tall man a few yards ahead.

 

Luhan shrugged, his peacoat shifting on his shoulders with the motion. It was a little big on him, but Luhan was probably still use to buying the same size as Sehun. Throughout high school, Sehun had shared clothes with the never aging cupid, but since college, Sehun’s shoulders had started to broaden, and, though he liked to deny it, he had gained a bit of weight that he really needed to turn into muscle. It made no sense to him for Luhan to be small and cute, but hide great abs under clothes that were too big for him when Sehun, much taller and broader, was getting fat. They should at least both have muscle.

 

A lamp post cast Chanyeol’s shadow at Sehun’s feet as the taller man passed it. Sehun followed it up to his owner and examined the long body covered by the khaki trench coat and wondered what Chanyeol was hiding beneath it. He was tall and had a deep voice, but he was strangely an adorable shy man, much like a dog, but was he a fat dog, or a growing puppy? He’d have to ask Luna if the night went right.

 

“Ow!”

 

Sehun jumped from his thoughts when he heard his brother beside him. Luhan was rubbing snow out of his frosting pink hair. He frowned down at his mittened hand where the snow was melting quickly. Sehun looked around. They were already in the park and Chanyeol had run off to a big pile of snow with Luna following carefully behind him laughing. Snowball fight? Sehun didn’t know why Chanyeol would throw one at Luhan. It must have been a stray one from some children somewhere. Looking around again, there weren’t even any high schoolers in the vicinity they’d strolled into. Sehun helped his brother wipe the rest of the snow off then went over to see what the two potential lovebirds were doing.

 

There was an attempt at a snow dog at Chanyeol’s feet. He had abandoned it to start on a ‘sculpture’ of Luna as she posed on a lamppost close by. Sehun took a seat on the bench by the lamppost and watched Chanyeol work. Luhan sat beside him with his head on his shoulder and Sehun patted his brother’s head to get him to nap. The cupid probably hadn’t listened to him the other day when he told him to sleep. Something suddenly flew by his head. Sehun looked around, but nothing was there. Luna was still hanging on the lamppost, but she’d pulled out her cellphone and was typing something on it when a ball of snow hurled toward her head hard. She dropped her phone in surprise and reached down to get it only to get hit two more times.

 

“Oppa!” she cried.

 

Sehun stood causing Luhan to knock his head on the bench. He didn’t bother to help his brother as he looked around and saw Chanyeol standing up with snow in his hand, eyes wide. He looked over at Sehun and shook his head, dropping the snow.

 

“Oppa, why’d you hit me?” Luna asked rubbing her head.

 

Chanyeol shook his hands out in front of him. “I didn’t, I swear.”

 

Luna frowned then turned and glared at Sehun. “Did you throw the snow?”

 

“No,” Sehun said flatly. He could feel Luhan standing next to him and then he was gone suddenly.

 

“Well someone did,” Luna said and wiped snow from her phone. “Doesn’t matter, I have to go home anyways.”

 

“I’ll…I’ll walk you,” Chanyeol insisted starting for Luna, but she held her hand out.

 

“It’s fine; I don’t live that far from here actually. Sehun, we’ll talk at work.”

 

Sehun watched Luna walk away. When he turned back, Chanyeol was standing in front of him looking like a kicked puppy.

 

“Did I…do something wrong?” Chanyeol asked.

 

Sehun lifted a hand to Chanyeol’s shoulder and patted it. “It’s alright. I guess girls just don’t like having snowball fights with guys they've just met.”

 

“I really didn’t do it,” Chanyeol said and sniffed.

 

Sehun rolled his eyes. He didn’t want to deal with a crying giant dog. He looked passed Chanyeol and frowned more. He could see Luhan pulling a blonde head out from behind a tree. Jongin.

 

“I know, Chanyeol. How about you just head home? I’ll talk to Luna later and if it’s a no go, I’ll have someone else lined up for Friday night, alright?”

 

Chanyeol nodded and suddenly reached out and wrapped his arms around Sehun in a hug. Sehun’s felt his breath leave his chest as Chanyeol’s arms squeezed around him. Chanyeol was strong, or at least stronger than what Sehun had thought. Maybe there wasn’t a lanky awkward dog under that trench coat. He pulled away after a while and smiled a teeth rich smile at Sehun.

 

“Thank you for the date, Sehun. Even if she doesn’t like me, it was better than most dates I’ve had.”

 

Oddly enough, Sehun smiled back. When Chanyeol had disappeared, Sehun took a seat on the bench he’d been at previously and watched as Luhan kicked around the anti-cupid, cursing at him while Jongin just laughed and smiled like he always did when he screwed up something Luhan was working on, except that this wasn’t something Luhan was working on, this was Sehun’s job. Sehun reached up to the sky littered with stars and light pollution. He’d have to keep Jongin from ruining anymore dates until after Valentine’s. His body was getting restless for how long he’d gone without sex, but he didn’t want to bother with having Luhan down his throat when he found out because Luhan always found out.

 

Except for that time with the teacher.

 

There was a yelp. Jongin had started to fight back. Sehun stood up to go rescue his brother.


	5. “Love is the smoke made with the fume of sighs.” –William Shakespeare

**5.**

_**“Love is the smoke made with the fume of sighs.” –William Shakespeare** _

 

1\.          After tending to the mending of his brother's 'wounds' gained during the childish cat fight the cupid had with Jongin in the snow (which mainly consisted of making hot cocoa piled high with marshmallows at Kyungsoo’s and Suho’s house and letting him use Sehun’s lap as a pillow while they watched old recorded games of Manchester United because, really, the physical healing rate of a cupid was much quicker than the emotional), Sehun headed back to his own apartment only to have Luna call and announce she really wasn’t ready to start dating again because she wasn’t in a state to take jokes, like snowballs, easily, and that Chanyeol was a nice guy, but too excited and tall for her taste. Sehun went to bed thinking that, even if Jongin hadn’t come and ruined the ending of the date, Chanyeol probably wouldn’t be happy with Luna.

 

He lay in bed frowning for hours. Why did it matter if Chanyeol ended up happy? Sehun was just trying to get him a date for Valentine’s; if they didn’t work out past that, it wasn’t Sehun’s problem. Maybe it was just the cupid half of him wanting to make everything a happily ever after. Sehun dreamt of joining Luhan in kicking Jongin around. He didn’t know why the anti-cupid had decided to mess with Sehun’s mission, they had almost been friends when they were younger (because there was no difference between cupids and anti-cupids and humans when you all still wet the bed), but if he really thought about it, Sehun could remember that Jongin always liked messing with Luhan. It was in an anti-cupid’s blood to play practical jokes. Usually Jongin looked half asleep, even more so now that he worked, but he’d cackle every time a bucket of flour fell onto Luhan’s pink hair or when Luhan sat on a wet spot of paint in the park only to walk around with a heart shape on his butt.

 

Honestly, Sehun had found it pretty entertaining as well. He guess he could understand why Jongin’s favorite pass time was harassing Luhan.

 

Monday morning, Sehun went to class half asleep and in the afternoon, he came into work with a pounding headache.

 

“Good afternoon, Sehun~~~,” Sulli chirped when he entered.

 

The high pitched overly bright greeting just made Sehun’s headache worse. He waved Sulli off as he went behind the register and joined Krystal in being gloomy by the mixer machine.

 

“Why are you in a bad mood?” she asked taking out a drink then stabbing a straw into it and started sipping.

 

“Why are you?” Sehun shot back and happily took the offered glass of ingredients Sulli handed him to make his usual chocolate bubble tea.

 

“I’m always in a bad mood, Sehun, just more so today. Does your mood have to do with your failed date with Luna?”

 

Sehun raised a brow at Krystal, which was difficult with the headache. “I didn’t go on a date with Luna. Luna went on a date with this guy I know.”

 

Krystal rolled her eyes.

 

Sehun let it go; there wasn’t a point in trying to make her believe him. She’d believe Luna when they had a shift together because Sehun figured that’s how girls were. “I still need to get him a date by Valentine’s though. I don’t know many girls like Luna that are single. I just need a girl to date him for a couple months and maybe put out.”

 

“Put out?” Sulli asked and went to smile and take an order from a costumer that came in.

 

Sehun waited for them to leave before responding. “Yeah, this guy hasn’t had any in years. He had a girlfriend that he only did it three times with when he was a freshman in college.”

 

“Tough luck for him,” Krystal agreed.

 

“I don’t put out,” Sulli asked.

 

“And you don’t have to,” Krystal said going over to the other girl and reaching up to pat her hair.

 

“I’m not going to ask you, Sulli, you’re afraid of a lot of stuff and this guy likes a lot of the stuff you’re afraid of,” Sehun said.

 

Sulli frowned and took another order.

 

Sehun started making the drinks and work was quiet for a little while. It was about twenty minutes later that Sulli piped up again as she took off her apron for a break.

 

“How about Krystal’s older sister?”

 

Sehun turned to Krystal. “You have an older sister?”

 

Krystal shrugged. “Yeah, it’s not weird. You have an older brother that I’ve never seen.”

 

“Is she dating anyone?”

 

“She goes on dates, but she hasn’t had an actual boyfriend. She’s nothing like Luna though.”

 

Sehun leaned against the counter by the mixer machine and thought. He went through all of what he’d read in the relationship books that Luhan liked to dump on him to study. Then he started to think on what Chanyeol had said. The first shot had been Sehun trying to find a girl that matched the only girlfriend Chanyeol had ever had, but maybe that was wrong. The girl had obviously found Chanyeol unsatisfying so maybe Chanyeol needed a girl totally different and since he seemed to have a bit of a sister complex, maybe an older girl would be perfect.

 

“Can you ask her if she’d be willing to date my friend? He’s a 92’ liner taller than me; well off for a journalist photographer. He has big eyes and a big smile and he probably has muscles.”

 

Krystal made a face. “He sounds like a great catch, but my sister’s not particular about looks, more about where someone stands in society. She wants to be an entertainer or model or something, I don’t know.”

 

Sehun thought for a second then grinned. “You can tell her he’s roommates with Byun Baekhyun the hand model.”

 

Krystal raised a brow. “Am I supposed to know who that is?”

 

Sulli waved from her spot at a table close to the register drinking a pink bubble tea. “I know who that is. He has really pretty hands. Sometimes he even does shoots for women’s products. I see him in my magazine all the time.”

 

Krystal whistled. “Okay, I’ll give her a call. She’s about the same height as me, but she likes to be Barbie blonde. Actually, just think of Barbie, but she’s definitely not prettier than me.”

 

Sehun grinned and rolled his eyes, headache not as noticeable, more just a tap against his frontal lobe. “Of course she isn’t. I think Barbie’s as good a place to start as any.”

 

**❤**

 

2\.          “Oh my…wow she’s hot,” Chanyeol said when they walked into the fancy restaurant Krystal’s sister had booked reservations for her blind date with Chanyeol.

 

Indeed, the girl was hot, small and petite in a tight red dress and blonde hair with a mix of stay away and come hither on her face. She didn’t really look much like Krystal, more like cousins than sisters, but that was going off what Luhan looked like compared to him and he’d also seen a picture of Chanyeol’s sister. It was like seeing the girl version of the tall man standing next to him, peaking around the corner of the restaurant. Honestly, Sehun was more impressed with the restaurant than the girl. There was told inlaid everywhere on the cherry wood surfaces and chandeliers. Sehun supposed Krystal might have over boasted about Chanyeol’s connections to the entertainment and fashion industry.

 

“If you think she’s hot, good, now go over and introduce yourself to your date,” Sehun said and pushed on Chanyeol’s back. The elder man only clutched tight to the edge of the wall and refused to move.

 

“No way,” Chanyeol said, “she’ll think I’m a dweeb or too tall or that I look like dobby from Harry Potter.”

 

“You do look like dobby from Harry Potter,” Sehun said and started pushing the guy again. He was surprised by Chanyeol’s sudden refusal. He had easily taken to talking with Luna the week before. “Just go already, you have to pay for the dinner one way or another, so at least actually eat something.”

 

Chanyeol finally let go of the corner of the wall and straightened out. He ran his hands down his white button up and green sweater vest. Sehun still felt the other man was in his work clothes since he had to dress well for this kind of restaurant. He reached out and adjusted the bowtie around Chanyeol’s neck. Chanyeol smiled at him thankfully.

 

“Are you really not going to eat with us?” Chanyeol asked.

 

“Why should I? You did just fine with Luna until the end part, so just go and work your charm again,” Sehun said.

 

Chanyeol gave a nervous laugh and muttered as he turned around to head to his date, “She wasn’t really my type.”

 

Sehun just stood there sort of dumbfounded watching Chanyeol head over to Krystal’s sister. Luna hadn’t been Chanyeol’s type? And he had just given Chanyeol the exact opposite of her. Had Chanyeol’s old girlfriend not been his type because Sehun had just gone off what he’d described her as? He’d have to get it out of Chanyeol later, but for now, he had to go all cupid mode and make sure this date didn’t screw up, or more importantly, that Jongin didn’t appear and try and screw it up.

 

Unlike Luhan, Sehun couldn’t just stand beside their table all night being inconspicuous, so he had to take another tactic. He had made sure Chanyeol got a table by the window in the back. He left the restaurant and entered the closest alleyway making his way to the window. There were a bunch of crates stacked up under the window and Sehun rearranged them so he could have a seat where he could see what was going on. The window was behind the girl, so he couldn’t see her expression, but he could hear her. They had just finished their introduction and were looking at the menus.

 

“So…Jessica noona…should we get an appetizer?” Chanyeol asked.

 

“No,” she said quickly, her ‘o’ ending in a sort of airy way. “I’ll just take a salad and some wine.”

 

Sehun could see Chanyeol peaking over his menu at her with a raised brow. He had mentioned to Chanyeol that Jessica wanted to be some kind of entertainer or model so she’d have to watch what she ate, but maybe Chanyeol didn’t like girls like that, Sehun actually wasn’t sure anymore. He saw Chanyeol shake his head and smile.

 

“Alright, then two salads and wine should be good, right?” Chanyeol said.

 

Sehun wanted to face palm. Chanyeol was definitely not a salad eater nor did he look like one; he had probably just offended her by ordering the same thing. He could almost ear her scoff through the glass of the window.

 

“Your name’s Chanyeol, right?” the girl asked. “It’s a nice name.”

 

Sehun could see Chanyeol loosen up at the compliment. “Yes, thank you. I think your name’s very unique. Jessica.”

 

“Jessica,” she said. Chanyeol cocked his head confused and the girl continued. “You’re saying it with a ‘sh’.”

 

Sehun could see Chanyeol go red. “Oh. Jesssssssica.”

 

“That’s better,” she said.

 

Well, maybe having someone with a taming personality would work, or at least Sehun hoped.  

 

The waiter finally came and Sehun had to listen to Chanyeol stumble over his words trying to order for them. He was off guard because of being corrected and then trying to say the wine names seemed even more difficult than seeing a common English name.

 

“Hmm, he’s really bad at this.”

 

Sehun jumped hearing the voice behind him. He turned only to see Jongin hovering over him and looking into the window, too. Sehun frowned and pushed the anti-cupid away. “I swear if you’re here to ruin this date I’ll punch you, Jongin.”

 

Jongin waved his hands at Sehun. “If Luhan’s not here, I’m not interested. Besides, it seems like that guy’s doing fine ruining this date on his own. I can see why he hasn’t gotten any in years.”

 

Sehun peaked back into the window. Jessica was on her phone and Chanyeol was making origami out of his napkin and trying to show it to her like a five year old with their mother. “He’s…not doing that bad. She doesn’t seem annoyed.”

 

“She’s bored. She probably just wants free wine. She’ll get tipsy and then if they go to a club or something she’ll seduce him and get from him whatever she wanted that made her agree to this date.”

 

Sehun frowned remembering how he’d mentioned Byun Baekhyun. Maybe that hadn’t been such a good idea. After the dinner, Chanyeol had planned on going to a free park where a small concert was being held that night and there were always other things to do at a free park, unlike the area of the park they had went with Luna to.

 

“Maybe she actually thinks he’s cute,” Sehun said.

 

Jongin patted Sehun’s head. “Don’t hope too much, Sehun. I may or may not have had dealings with this girl or girls like her before when it came to cutting red strings.”

 

Sehun swatted the anti-cupid’s hand away. “Go find Luhan and screw with him or something, Jongin.”

 

“Oh, I would very much like to screw with him. Unfortunately, I don’t know where your brother is and this seems to be plenty interesting right now.”

 

Sehun sighed and curled up against the window. It was starting to get cold. Jongin sat down beside him and curled up next to him. Sehun had always thought anti-cupids would be cold since they were the opposite of cupids and Luhan’s hand had always been warm, but Jongin had always been warm, too, those times they’d fall asleep together when little before Jongin was taken in for anti-cupid training.

 

A while later, the salad and wine came. The conversation between the two was boring, but it didn’t stop which Sehun thought was a plus. He hadn’t really noticed, though, when Jessica’s wine glass became empty quickly as he couldn’t see it from where he sat. Chanyeol offered to refill it and that’s when it went all downhill. Chanyeol stood and grabbed the bottle. He started to carefully pour it into Jessica’s glass that she held up for him. He  was startled when Jessica said ‘that’s enough’ and filled it another drop more than needed and then tried to move the bottle away and splashed more drops onto his and Jessica’s arms. She yelped and Chanyeol went for a napkin, his long arms hitting his own glass and wine flooded across the table and onto Jessica’s lap. She stood, wiped herself down and grabbed her purse.

 

“I’ll be leaving. My sister must have lied when she said you were friends with Byun Baekhyun. No one this boring and clumsy could be connected with people of that elegance. You’re a huge puppy and I don’t have time to tame you,” she said then left.

 

Chanyeol stood there watching her leave, mouth partially opened. When she was gone, he lowered his head look completely like a wet and abandoned puppy. He unfolded the origami napkin to try and clean up the spilled wine in slow strokes until the waiter came. Sehun watched, his chest feeling heavy.

 

“I told you,” Jongin said.

 

Sehun turned and punched the jinx.

 

**❤**

 

3\.          Sehun walked into Chanyeol’s bedroom for the first time carrying a bowl of bubble topped cold water and a sponge. It wasn’t what he had expected with the decor of the rest of the apartment. Chanyeol’s bed was huge, but it was littered with movie themed sheets and there was a guitar and drumset off to one corner with a bunch of recording equipment. The walls were painted a dark gray and there were tons of band posters all around the room along with framed photos of about ten different dogs surrounding family portraits on Chanyeol’s desk. Even his computer, next to where he’d put his old timey looking expensive camera, was covered with stickers of random English sayings, some of them spelt wrong. Sehun thought about the only thing he had guessed right in the room would be the pile of shoes deposited in one corner.

 

“I can’t believe it went so bad,” Chanyeol said when Sehun entered the room.

 

“Didn’t you say your past dates had gone bad?” Sehun asked and put the bowl on Chanyeol’s cluttered beside table before sitting next to the other man.

 

“I haven’t gone on dates in a really long time, Sehun. Luna’s date didn’t go so bad so I thought maybe I had just needed time to collect myself. It’s still the same,” Chanyeol sighed.

 

Sehun dumped the sponge into the soapy water and turned to Chanyeol.  “Let me pretreat the wine stains.”

 

Chanyeol sighed again and reached for his sweater vest, taking it off along with his bowtie then extended one of his wine stained clothed arms to Sehun. Sehun started to sponge at it silently.

 

“I’m hopeless. I just never know what to say to girls so I get nervous and I know they won’t like a clumsy guy like me.”

 

Sehun frowned at the spot on Chanyeol’s sleeve not really able to get at it while the shirt was still on Chanyeol’s body. “There are plenty of girls that like guys like you.”

 

Chanyeol bowed his head. “But I don’t like them.”

 

Sehun stopped patting the stain and turned to Chanyeol. “You said you hadn’t actually been interested in Luna. I don’t understand since you two got along mostly until that snowball incident.”

 

“Well, I can get along with girls just fine. I get along with most of the girls at work, but I don’t dare date them. Usually, if I get along with a girl, it’s because we won’t go well together. I liked my old girlfriend a lot, but maybe we were always trying too hard to make the things we had similar connect. And I’m not very good at leading; I’m only good at filling up empty space with chatter. I didn’t know what to do the first time we had sex and I didn’t know what to do the second or third time.”

 

“Didn’t you research or ask your guy friends about it?” Sehun asked dumping the sponge again.

 

“I didn’t really have guy friends, and shouldn’t a guy just know how to do it?”

 

Sehun started inspecting the stain again. “That’s ignorance. Of course you have to look up what you’re doing. Maybe not the first time, but at least the second time. Some girls have to really be built up before they can enjoy sex, it’s not the same.”

 

“Oh,” Chanyeol said.

 

“Chanyeol, take off your shirt,” Sehun said.

 

Chanyeol jumped and blinked owlishly at Sehun. Sehun frowned and reached out to start unbuttoning the other’s shirt.

 

“What are you doing?” Chanyeol asked reaching up and grabbing Sehun’s hands.

 

Sehun wanted to laugh seeing a blush on the other man’s cheek. He pulled his hands back. “If I’m going to make sure these stupid stains down stay in forever, I’m going to need you to take the stupid shirt off.”

 

Chanyeol looked away and started to take the shirt off. Sehun watched him curiously from his peripheral. He was not disappointed with the glimpse of the other man’s body he got. He wasn’t totally built, still fairly slim and Sehun probably could tackle Chanyeol to the ground if he wanted to, but there was enough there for anyone to drool over. Chanyeol covered himself quickly with a t-shirt he found in his bed sheets. Sehun went back to the stains.

 

“You should have told me that before. I was probably more on the right track this time if you’re looking for a girl to guide you. You probably should have told me about that drumset and guitar, too.”

 

“What would those have anything to do with dating?”

 

“If you can sing and play instruments, isn’t that romantic? People swoon over that kind of thing,” Sehun said. He wondered briefly if this was how you got wine stains out of clothes. He’d only seen Kyungsoo do it a couple times when Suho use to play office worker and would come home after having dinner with co-workers at his human job.

 

“I never thought about it, but I use to play and sing for my ex-girlfriend a lot. That’s probably what made her stay with me for so long. I minored in music.”

 

“But you like photography more?” Sehun asked. He held up the shirt and furrowed his brows. Yeah, he was definitely just making the stains worse.

 

“No. I majored in journalism, but someone happened to hand me a camera my second semester in college and it turned out I had a knack for it. I double minored and majored in journalism. There was a saying my senior year of high school: Minor in something you love and major in something that’ll get you a job.”  

 

Sehun stuffed the shirt inside the bowl deciding maybe it should just soak and leaned back on Chanyeol’s bed. When he looked up, there were tons of tiny glow in the dark stars on his ceiling. He reached up toward them wondering if it would be annoying to relaxing to stare at them while trying to fall asleep at night. Would they make you lonely, reminding you of your small presence in an unfathomably large universe, or would it feel like there were a hundred little friends in your world all sharing those last seconds before you fell asleep.

 

“So you want to be led? I’ll have someone else for you by next week. I think I know what you need.”

 

 


	6. “Many are the stars I see, but in my eye no star like thee.” –English phrase on poesy rings

**6.**

_**“Many are the stars I see, but in my eye no star like thee.” –English phrase on poesy rings** _

 

1\.          Jongin’s earliest memory was of cupids kissing. He was around three , the age were you only remembered fleeting unimportant things like falling asleep in the backyard or seeing a stray cat cross a silent road. Of course he remembered those things, too, but before that, there had been two cupids kissing, namely the high ranking Suho and his protégé, Kyungsoo. He had never seen a cupid kiss before, humans yes, but never a cupid not that he had seen many since anti-cupids were never allowed into the cupid’s headquarters, but he knew the ones in his area and the ones near by, but not at that age. If he concentrated hard enough, Jongin thought that that was the first time he had seen those two particular cupids. He knew that was the first time he saw Luhan.

 

It was more than a simple peck, but Jongin could only identify it as a kiss then. They were behind a shop building close to where Jongin was being raised. His hand was held by a female half cupid as they went to buy treats and that was when he saw them. A few seconds later, he saw Luhan. The young cupid, already an adult though he still looked fairly young, rushed out of the store holding a small pink book and beaming until he saw his caretakers snogging it up behind the building. He made a disgusted face in which Jongin remembered giggling at. Luhan turned and saw him. He smiled at Jongin, corner of his eyes wrinkling then turned to the half cupid beside Jongin with a sad look. Jongin didn’t understand it then, he didn’t even understand it a month later when he met Sehun for the first time at the park where they had both been taken to play while their guardians worked invisible to everyone else. What Jongin did understand when Luhan appeared to take his new playmate away was that he wanted to kiss a cupid one day, namely the pretty one who was the brother of his playmate.

 

Jongin often mused about those feelings he’d had since he was young. Somehow he had become Sehun’s usual playmate and would come along with him when the half cupid had fits about Luhan leaving on jobs without him. Honestly, the brother complex had annoyed him, but if playing with Sehun met he got to see Luhan, he was fine with that. Eventually, he learned about the phrase ‘pull the pigtails of the one you love’ and so he started to tease Luhan and play jokes on him. Even Sehun thought they were funny unless Luhan started crying and Jongin would feel bad and make mental notes that bricks did not work the same as chalkboard erasers when falling on people’s heads. Luhan couldn’t really be mad at him because he was still a kid, a ‘kid without parents raised to be a nuisance to cupids later on’ where his words. Jongin learned to hate them, but he couldn’t hate Luhan.

 

He was in love with him.

 

Somehow Jongin did manage to get a kiss from the cupid. He was nine, plenty old enough to understand he liked Luhan like Suho liked Kyungsoo. So, one time when Luhan wasn’t looking at him like the black puppy that his little brother fed too often and now wouldn’t leave, Jongin jumped into the cupid’s lap, wrapped his arms around Luhan’s neck, and placed his lips on Luhan’s with a loud smack. Of course the cupid hadn’t appreciated that and kicked him out. Jongin tried to come back to their house many times to play with Sehun, but it wasn’t until he was ten and his anti-cupid training started that he realized why no one had answered the door.

 

He was twelve when he found out why Luhan didn’t like him in the first place.

 

He was also twelve when he had his first wet dream; something that he hadn’t known could happen to an anti-cupid or a cupid. Then he found out cupids could have sex. He imagined having sex with Luhan often; he still did even though he didn’t have time to see the elder boy with all the training and his own cowardice of seeing Luhan and even Sehun knowing what he did then.

 

At sixteen, he was a full fledged anti-demon and most of his jobs took place in high school. Whether it be your true love or just a happy fling, anti-cupids still had to be there to end it most of the time. Some of the happiest flings ended in high school and Jongin could easily go undercover. He ended up in the same high school as Sehun. He was surprised to hear about Sehun’s sexual escapades and that he hadn’t decided to take on the path of a cupid, but even more surprised to listen to Sehun rant about how stuck up his brother was about Sehun’s partners. Luhan was a virgin.

 

So, Jongin started teasing Luhan again.

 

He was kind of regretting it now as he cradled his jaw. Sehun had a hard punch contrary to Luhan’s punches that looked like they’d hurt, and they did a little, but not enough to make Jongin back off from teasing him. Jongin wasn’t really interested in what the half cupid was doing; he had just thought Luhan was there. The cupid had just as much of a brother complex as Sehun did. Perhaps that was why he was always nagging on Sehun’s sexual choices. Jongin didn’t agree on some of them, but Sehun had always been a weird kid so maybe they made him happy. Watching him nail the teacher had been pretty funny.

 

It was starting to snow hard. Jongin couldn’t really feel it, but he could feel the burn on his jaw easing as the snowflakes fell on his face. They reminded him of Luhan’s eyelashes when Jongin had kissed him, soft quick flutters against his own right before he was pushed off Luhan’s lap and literally kicked out of the house. Luhan kicked pretty hard.

 

Jongin closed his eyes and let the heavy snow fall on his face. The cold didn’t penetrate his skin and the bruise had already formed and was slowly seeping away. He opened them when he heard angry voices off in the distance. There was a man and a women fighting in the snowy street. The man kept grabbing for her, but she slapped his hands away saying something like ‘jerk’ and ‘you never loved me anyways’. Another man approached from the other direction looking at his phone, and behind him, a head of fluffy pink hair. The woman ran backwards still yelling at the first man before suddenly running into him. The man dropped his phone, but caught her and their eyes met. It was so cheesy, but what was even more so was the cheesy grin on Luhan’s face as he stared  happily at the success of getting two destined lovers to meet. He turned away, Cupid Book already out, and started for his next job on his Love Run. Jongin stayed to watch as the two men fought then the cellphone guy led the woman away, forgetting about his cellphone that laid on the ground in twenty pieces. He pulled out his own notebook, a black one, and marked off the interactions as the snow started to lighten back up and the beating of his heart in his chest calmed back down.

 

Jongin had always found it amazing how he couldn’t feel the cold of winter or the heat of summer, but somehow his heart still ran at the speed of light every time he saw Luhan. So, sometimes, he left Luhan an easy win.

 

**❤**

 

2\.          Jongin happened by Luhan a couple days later. Or, more accurately, he had been stalking Luhan’s trail all week, but the cupid could sometimes be very elusive when it came to Jongin. Of course, for that to be successful, Luhan would have to stop working. The fruits of Luhan’s labor was like a tale-tail trail for Jongin to follow. Currently, the cupid was sat in front of a café happily eating a piece of some small cutely topped cake with a bubble tea beside him. Jongin guessed he had been to see Sehun earlier, he knew the half cupid worked at a bubble tea shop, he often went there himself. Jongin decided to stay in the shadows for a while and watch. Honestly, he had work to do, but no one liked ending romances and there weren’t any abusive ones in his book for the day, so everyone else could have one more day of happiness as far as he was concerned.

 

Luhan looked around the café with wide curious eyes and small pink lips opened in an ‘o’ as he blinked. This was his curious face, a very stupid face that Jongin loved the most. It was a deceitful face too as Jongin knew no matter how innocent the cupid looked; he was a mean little spirit at heart, always nagging and kicking people. He actually kicked harder than he punched probably from all the soccer he liked to play with that half cupid friend of his in the next district over. Jongin remembered Luhan always had a hard time kicking him, but he’d seen how much it hurt when Luhan kicked Sehun. Jongin could never decide if it was because Luhan didn’t feel right kicking someone that wasn’t family or close to him or if it was because he was fond of Jongin or if it had to do with how Jongin came to exist.

 

The cupid’s eyes crinkled up as he continued to eat the cake. Jongin wondered what it tasted like on Luhan’s lips, if it was really that right balance of sweet and natural flavors and softness or if it was a bit tough and chewy and sour strange in taste just like they were all strange in nature. His attention was caught by whip cream left on the side of Luhan’s mouth. Jongin grinned and started his way towards the cupid, moving in puffs of smoke almost like teleporting, but it was more of an illusion for the humans. If they did see Jongin, they’d think he was a demon or something. No one wants to believe they saw a demon.

 

He caught Luhan off guard which was strange since Jongin always thought the beginning came as more of a surprise than the end. He stared at Jongin all wide eyed and child like for a few seconds and Jongin took the opportunity at full value. He leaned in and captured the whip creams between his lips then licked it up and pulled away from Luhan. It wasn’t really a kiss, but close enough. He had felt Luhan’s lips against his and it had been more than ten years since he had felt them outside of dreams.

 

Luhan’s reaction was late. He sputtered and jumped back almost knocking his bubble tea off the table. His hand landed a little bit in the frosting of the cake thought, and Jongin reached out for it, sticking a couple of the fingers in his mouth , but Luhan was faster this time and got his hand away before Jongin could officially clean them off with his tongue. Luhan glared at him and wiped his hand with a napkin.

 

“Quite molesting me, Jongin, what do you want? I’m not working right now, so there’s nothing for you to ruin.”

 

Jongin rolled his eyes and looked around the little spot outside the café. There were many people about, so of course they were both cloaked which made it all the more easy for Jongin to continue to mess with Luhan. He took a seat opposite of the cupid and crossed his arms and legs.

 

“What makes you think I’m here to ruin one of your jobs again?”

 

“Because you always do,” Luhan said with a pointed look at Jongin. “I use to be so good at this until you started bothering me. The slope on my record chart has started going down.”

 

Jongin frowned. That made him feel a bit bad about it. “It’s not like I ruin them because I like to.”

 

“Then why do you do it, Jongin?” Luhan asked. “You even messed up Sehun’s one job that he’s ever picked up.”

 

Jongin reached out for Luhan’s cake and picked up the fork, stealing a piece. Sweet and a bit bitter, Jongin thought it was a fitting cake for Luhan. “That was a mistake. I thought it was your doing.”

 

“See, you really are just out to screw with me,” Luhan said.

 

Jongin chuckled. “If only I could screw with you. You’re a little dumb, though. It’s because I like you, Luhan.”

 

Luhan raised a brow at him. “I don’t appreciate being called dumb and what do you mean you like me? If you’re fond of me you shouldn’t mess with my job. Sehun likes me quite a bit but he doesn’t do things to interfere with my job, though he does do other things to piss me off.”

 

Jongin sighed. “It’s not that kind of like, Luhan. I love you.”

 

Suddenly, Luhan stood. He pushed his cake toward Jongin and adjusted his coat. “That’s absurd. I have work to do. Eat that and don’t follow me.”

 

Jongin stood up immediately and followed after Luhan. The cupid tried to take a shortcut down an alley, but Jongin teleported in front of him and reached out for his arm.

 

“Luhan stop. Why would you call my feelings absurd?”

 

Luhan pulled away and glared at Jongin. “You’re an anti-cupid, what do you know about love? You were made from heart break and depression. I know all the feelings that created you.”

 

“That doesn’t mean I can’t get my heart broken, too. I know lots about love, I’m the one that has to watched beautiful relationships end; I’m the one that has to be there in tragedy and to save people when the one they love turns into someone else. You only give them the fairytale beginning so I think I might know a little more about love than you do, Luhan.”

 

“You sound like you hate it,” Luhan said.

 

“Of course I do, but it’s my job. Someone has to do it, but this is about you belittling my feelings. I just confessed to you, Luhan. I tried to do it ten years ago, but I was just a kid then so of course you wouldn’t take me seriously.”

 

“Lots of kids get crushes on their adult caretakers when they’re young. I’m sure you liked that girl half cupid that took care of you, too. But, you can’t possibly ever fall in love, Jongin.”

 

“Cupids’ and anti-cupids’ names aren’t written in that pink book of yours, Luhan, but that doesn’t mean they can’t fall in love, too. You see Suho and Kyungsoo, even your own father fell in love.”

 

Luhan pushed Jongin hard, suddenly. Jongin stumbled a bit back and was shocked to see tears in Luhan’s eyes.

 

“You’re not allowed to talk about my father. He was the best cupid there was and he could never create something like you!”

 

Jongin grabbed Luhan’s wrist and pushed him up against the alley wall. It hurt just as much as it had the first time he had learned whose heartbreak had brought him into existence. Luhan had never had a mother, neither had Jongin; that was just how it was. You only got a mother or a father if you were created from feelings, but Sehun had had a mother for the nine months he’d been in her womb, maybe not even that, a mother who had been stubborn and never officially said ‘I love you’ to a cupid pining after her for years. The minute Luhan’s father’s first tear fell after the monitor stopped beating and there was a rush to get the baby out, Jongin was created.

 

Jongin’s hands squeezed around Luhan’s wrist and he leaned down capturing Luhan’s lips properly. The kiss tasted like salt and he wasn’t sure whose tears they were, Luhan’s or Jongin’s. He pushed his tongue between Luhan’s lips when the cupid started to protest and pressed himself more against the other. It wasn’t fair. He never asked to be created. He never asked to fall in love like this, but if Luhan didn’t return his feelings, what would happen? Would he make another one of himself? What happened when an anti-cupid fell in love with a cupid? Jongin didn’t think it had ever happened before.

 

When Jongin pulled away for a breath that he didn’t actually need, but his heart was pounding so hard in excitement and fear and Luhan’s lips were moving against his, the cupid pushed him away. He opened his mouth to say something, even an apology, only to get a pale white hand slapped across his face.

 

“You’re horrible, Jongin, you’re horrible.”

 

Jongin listened as Luhan stomped away, his head bowed to the dirty concrete floor of the alley. He lifted a hand to the heat of impact on his face and slowly lifted his eyes up to the sky were stars twinkled in the snowless night like comforting little nightlights.

 

Even though Sehun had hit Jongin harder, why was it Luhan’s slap that stung the most?

 

**❤**

 

3\.          Sehun suckled with enthusiasm, a kink of his he’d found the first time he’d had sex. His freshman homeroom teacher had been all too eager to pull him to her chest, long fingers combing through his hair as he kneaded her breasts and sucked. He tried not to think about it too hard, wondering if he was weird. Quite a few of the limited amount of girl partners he had seemed to really hate it, but his teacher had loved it and his roommate didn’t seem to mind as long as she got an orgasm. When he had become interested in psychology and human interactions (because he was half cupid after all and maybe secretly wanted to take a scientific approach to this thing called love) he had come across why different people liked certain things in sex. For a while he didn’t have sex with women just because he didn’t want to think about the implications such a kink suggested, but the men he slept with seemed to enjoy sucking his nipples and when he did start sleeping with women again, they seemed interested in doing it as well. Sehun just stopped thinking about it so hard.

 

Sucking nipples was about the only part of having sex with his roommate Sehun enjoyed. Certainly Hyuna was a gorgeous girl on the outside, even a bit on the inside if Sehun didn’t count the fact they just couldn’t stand each other. Her breasts bounced and her insides were wet and slippery and she was just too much female for him. He liked a bit more friction and a bit less jiggle on top and it was almost impossible to get his roommate into a missionary position since the times were it was just easier to have sex than to fight were usually brought on by Hyuna so she was in charge. If he tried to change position, they’d just end up fighting naked and Sehun didn’t want to hit a girl, he hadn’t so far no matter how much they sometimes annoyed him. (Hitting men seemed acceptable though. He grinned remember punching Jongin a few days earlier.)

 

That thought brought on thoughts of Chanyeol and his failed dates and, more awkwardly, his orgasm. Hyuna made an upset whine and pulled off finishing herself beside him as Sehun went about throwing the condom off and staring at his plain white ceiling, gray in the dim light of his room.

 

“You suck,” she said from beside him, lifting a hand to push back her hair.

 

“Maybe you should suck if you’re so upset with my way of doing it,” Sehun said. He wanted her out of his bed already.

 

Hyuna laughed. “Like I’d ever give you a blow job. We just do this so I don’t stab you with a kitchen knife.”

 

“Yes because you would totally pick up a kitchen knife before you picked up a hairdryer.”

 

Hyuna kicked him from under the sheet and Sehun kicked back. “You’re the worse, but what were you so stressed about to get so pissy at me. Usually you don’t care if I leave my hair stuff out.”

 

Sehun frowned and turned on his side. He could hear Hyuna scoff and the bed dip before settling back as his roommate got off and started for the door. He watched her as she picked up her clothes and sat up a bit.

 

“Noona…what type of guy do you like?”

 

Hyuna turned and raised a brow. “Not you.”

 

Sehun rolled his eyes. “I know that. But what kind of guy do you sleep with because you want to?”

 

Hyuna looked thoughtful for a second. “Tall, good looking, and sweet. You have the tall and good looking parts down, but I can’t stand your personality.”

 

Sehun cocked his head to one side. Chanyeol was nervous with hot girls and had little experience with sex. He didn’t particularly want to send Hyuna to him, he’d never do that to anyone, but maybe she could help with his confidence.

 

“Noona…would you do me a favor? I promise I won’t complain for a month if it goes well.”

 

Hyuna frowned. “What?”

 

“I have a friend that has no confidence. He’s only had one partner before. He’s taller than me, not bad looking, and nice. Could you sleep with him?”

 

“You want me to sleep with your friend?” Hyuna asked.

 

“If you don’t like him enough to have sex, at least make out with him. He’s hopeless. I’ve put him on two dates and the one he did good on, he wasn’t interested in the girl, and the second one he totally screwed up.”

 

Hyuna twirled her bra around her finger as she left the room. “Show me a picture and I’ll consider it. I don’t have a boyfriend right now, obviously.”

 

Sehun couldn’t help but laugh. Even if he couldn’t stand her most of the time, the freedom of sex was something they shared on a very deep level.

 

Poor Chanyeol though. He really would be like a dog with his master if Hyuna got her claws in him.

  
  



	7. “Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” –Robert Frost

**7.**

_**“Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” –Robert Frost** _

 

1\.          Sehun tried not to grin as he looked over Chanyeol in the elder’s apartment. He had arrived early to bring Chanyeol over to where they would be meeting Hyuna and had immediately demanded the taller man change his clothes. He looked nice enough in nice pants and button ups, but Hyuna wasn’t really into that kind of dress and where they were going, something a bit more street was in order. Sehun was actually quite surprised with what Chanyeol had came out in after. Tight gray skinny jeans accentuating his long legs, a graphic tee that didn’t cling too much, and a black jacket that was perhaps a bit too fancy with a colorful snapback in one hand—Sehun had thought Chanyeol didn’t even own street clothes better yet such normal ones.

 

Chanyeol fiddled with the hat and kept glancing at Sehun. “I feel like I’m underdressed.”

 

“Nonsense,” Sehun said and walked forward to adjust Chanyeol’s jacket as well as to just touch it. He was kind of in love with it which meant Hyuna probably would be, too, they had similar taste in men’s fashion. “You look too uppity dressed in those button ups all the time. That’s probably one of your problems. You can’t go around looking like a model until after you’ve gotten a girlfriend.”

 

Chanyeol blinked down at Sehun. “I look like a model?”

 

Sehun raised a brow. “Are you kidding? Don’t tell me you think you’re ugly or something.”

 

Chanyeol lifted the hat to his head and put it on backwards. Sehun frowned at it and pulled it off putting it on his own head instead.

 

“I didn’t use to think that way,” Chanyeol said and sighed. “I was really friendly with girls, but I didn’t want to date any of them, and talking to the popular girls in school was really hard to do.”

 

Sehun headed for the door and looked back at Chanyeol, rolling his eyes. “Well you’re not ugly by far, just a nervous wreck. Let’s go get you some confidence.”

 

“I need some confidence to walk out that door. You said your roommate was pretty hot.”

 

Sehun started pushing Chanyeol out the door. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I’d do you.”

 

Chanyeol glanced back at Sehun then smiled. “That helps…a little actually.”

 

Outside, the snow was light, but the air was colder than most nights. Sehun pushed Chanyeol’s cap down on his head and tried to cover his face with the scarf before looking around. Luhan was across the street and waved at him. Sehun waved back and muttered through his scarf, “My brother’s here.”

 

“I can’t see him,” Chanyeol said looking around.

 

Sehun nudged Chanyeol to walk. “Of course not, he’s hiding. He doesn’t like clubs because people hit on him all the time.”

 

“Club? I thought we were getting hamburgers,” Chanyeol said.

 

“Hamburgers then club,” Sehun explained. “Actually, you guys were just going to go straight to the club, but Hyuna Noona really wanted hamburgers, so we’re stuck with that.”

 

“She decides things on the fly?” Chanyeol asked.

 

Sehun adjusted the scarf and nodded.

 

“Are you cold, Sehun?”

 

Sehun glanced over at Chanyeol. The other man had on less than Sehun, and unless that jacket was really warm, Sehun thought he should be freezing. “Aren’t you?”

 

“No, I’m usually pretty warm. Plus, I’m nervous.”

 

Sehun scoffed. How come he was the only one that ever got hot or cold? Stupid cupids and hopeless romantics with their self ventilation.

 

They walked for about twenty minutes in which Sehun denied taking Chanyeol’s jacket at least five times. It bothered Sehun that he asked. He should ask Hyuna. Luhan use to do that, too, up until Sehun was in high school. After sleeping with his homeroom teacher, he had come to understand he didn’t need babying anymore.

 

Someone started waving at them from up ahead. A girl with perfect hair and perfect jeans with probably the most expensive coat she could find stood ahead of them by a burger joint. Sehun looked across the street where Luhan was running to get to them, j-walking not a problem when no one could see you anyways. His brother made a gesture if he should become visible now. Sehun immediately shook his head. There was one thing about today’s date Sehun was worried about, and that was Hyuna finding a target she deemed more worthy to get naked with than Chanyeol. Chanyeol was indeed handsome and maybe even pretty when he gave that uncomprehending puppy look or just when he seemed peaceful, but Luhan was still a baby faced embodiment of love. He had never let Hyuna meet his brother officially. She could be fickle.

 

“Oh! He really is hot!” Hyuna exclaimed when they got to the burger joint. She reached out and grabbed Chanyeol’s arm, planting herself by his side, where she’d hopefully stay until tomorrow morning.

 

Sehun laughed when Chanyeol shot him a wide eyed look of total confusion. Sehun just mouthed ‘she likes you’ before pulling out his phone. “You two should go in and get some food. We’ll meet you at the club.”

 

Chanyeol shot him another look and Sehun just laughed and quickly sent him a text as Hyuna pulled him inside.

 

**To: Park Chanyeol**

**From: Oh Sehun**

**Don’t worry about embarrassing yourself.**

**Hyuna will do all the talking.**

**All you have to do is give short answers**

**and make sure not to look her in the eye**

**for more that ten seconds.**

 

**To: Oh Sehun**

**From: Park Chanyeol**

**You make it sound like she’s going to**

**eat me.**

 

That was exactly what he was hoping would happen. Sehun laughed and waited for Luhan to reach him.

 

“Your roommate?” Luhan asked and Sehun could already hear the judging tone in his voice.

 

“She’s a confidence booster,” Sehun said and followed Luhan into the joint. He hadn’t asked Luhan to come, but again, his brother had invited himself along. “I just need him a bit more lively for the next date.”

 

“Huh, lively indeed.”

 

Sehun cocked his head and looked where Luhan was pointing. Standing next to his brother, Sehun was almost invisible as well so Chanyeol wouldn’t notice them staring at him sat in the corner with Hyuna as the girl slobbered all over his face with Chanyeol’s hands awkwardly hovering over her back.

 

“Huh, she works faster than I thought.”

 

Luhan kicked the back of Sehun’s heel. “Buy me french fries and I won’t complain.”

 

**❤**

 

2\.          The hamburgers had gone amazingly well. Luhan glared at Sehun every time he found him staring at his roommate and Chanyeol making out in a corner. It seemed like a few other burger joint goers couldn't help but stare, too. Chanyeol’s lips were red and Hyuna had a happy glow about her when they left, a bounce in both their steps (though, for Chanyeol, it was more of a limp and Sehun wondered if that was because Chanyeol got a boner from Hyuna’s kisses—Sehun wouldn’t deny she was good at kissing—or just because of long strides being jerked about by Hyuna’s jumping). The moment they got outside the club and Luhan dropped his masking, Hyuna had run up to Sehun and hugged him saying ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you, he has such strong thighs.’ Sehun pushed her away quickly and gave Chanyeol thumbs up, but the elder just blinked at him and stood in line looking totally ravished. Sehun decided it was a good look on him.

 

As soon as they had been accepted into the club, props of Luhan’s face and Hyuna opening her coat to reveal a low cut shirt, they headed for the bar and Sehun ordered Chanyeol a drink to calm his nerves. It was obvious by the elder’s face he was still in a state of shock from the sudden kissing. The taller man gulped it down in seconds then started to cough. Luhan fazed away becoming invisible to every one but Sehun in the crowd at the bar, hovering beside Sehun like a child to their mother. Sehun watched Hyuna grab Chanyeol’s arm when he went for a second drink and dragged him to the dance floor. Sehun smirked and turned to get his drinks refilled from the bartender. He gave Sehun a strange look when the glass beside Sehun’s was mostly gone. There wasn’t much Sehun could do when a cupid’s presence couldn’t be explained and just raised a brow at the bartender. When the drink wasn’t in Luhan’s hand, it was as plainly obvious as any other drink on the counter, and Luhan tended to drink when he was nervous. Though, Luhan would only guess what he was worried about. He had gotten his brother all the french fries his cotton candy heart could eat so it wasn’t about the fact Sehun had set up Chanyeol with someone he tended to sleep with on occasion.

 

Jongin.

 

Usually if it wasn’t something with Sehun then it was Jongin. Sehun could still hear the crack Jongin’s jaw had given when he’d punched Jongin for jinxing Chanyeol’s and Jessica’s date. It was a sound he liked to play over and over again before bed time. Sehun wondered if it was the same thing with Luhan.

 

“You know,” Luhan said, voice just a soft tinker to anyone’s ear, but Sehun was by far more use to deciphering it, “you can go dance if you want.”

 

Sehun shrugged and sipped his drink waiting for the bartender to move on before talking. “Are you going to dance with me?”

 

Luhan shook his head. “I can’t really deal with clubs”

 

“I’ll go in a bit,” Sehun said and finished up his drink. It had been a while since he’d gotten on the dance floor. The past couple of times he had come to a club, he had just gone with the first attractive person to pick him up, and that didn’t take very long. He half wanted someone to ask him to dance and then go home and screw for a good part of the night to make up for the months he had gone without (sex with Hyuna was good, but it was more of a necessisty to keep from ripping each other’s throats out). The other half remembered he wasn’t here for him, but Chanyeol. Chanyeol was the one that needed screwing so he could loosen up and get that successful Valentine’s date that would lead to Sehun’s complete sexual freedom from Luhan’s scrutiny for a year.

 

The music thumped against Sehun’s chest from the dj in the corner of the club with neon outlines on his equipment and black lights on the floor, though they were all off at the moment, too early for hard partying.  He glanced at Luhan. The cupid had taken to sitting on a bar stool and doodling on a napkin. Sehun rolled his eyes asked for another refill in both glasses and let them for his elder brother as he headed for the dance floor. Bodies immediately pressed against his as he made his way toward the middle. Sehun didn’t bother avoiding them as he pressed back unlike a certain tall man he could see a few people away. Chanyeol was by far a terrible dancer in the case of improvisation. His arms had whacked at least three innocent neighbors and he had stepped on or tripped over Hyuna six times. Hyuna still seemed to be enjoying Chanyeol’s company though her eyes were wondering around the club for better bait.

 

Sehun stayed close so that wouldn’t happen. As long as he had the better bait, Hyuna couldn’t go fishing for it.  

 

It was just as Sehun was getting into it, grinding his butt into one girl’s boyfriend and  her butt into Sehun’s crotch that he felt it, a presence similar to Luhan’s but definitely not a cupid.

 

“Is Luhan here?” it asked whispering deep chocolately words into his ear that made Sehun shiver.

 

He pulled away from the girl and her boyfriend and looked for the anti-cupid in the crowd dancing on the floor. A black poof here and a black poof there and words taunting him.

 

“He’s here, right?”

 

“Ah, I see him.”

 

“Sorry Sehun, nothing personal.”

 

Sehun pushed through the people. Somehow he had drifted away from Chanyeol and Hyuna. He found just as he had left them with Hyuna pressing her butt into Chanyeol’s crotch and pushing her boobs forward, something that was both ridiculous and attractive, and Chanyeol just grinning nervously down at her with his arms awkwardly in the air, hips imitating thrusts from a thirteen year old virgin.

 

And then there was Jongin, one hand in the air with a half emptyglass of alcohol in it and Luhan’s hand over his mouth, holding his other hand behind his back. Sehun let out a sigh of relief. Jongin had missed Hyuna, though Chanyeol's shirt had taken a toll.

 

Maybe this date would work.

 

**❤**

 

3\.          Sehun followed Chanyeol into the men’s room. Sehun wrinkled his nose hearing the groaning from some stalls and he could hear the click of heels from women trying to hide while getting someone off. This club was not the type Sehun usually visited. If he was in the mood for boobs and vaginas, Sehun usually just went to mixers with classmates he knew to have connections with women who were open with sex, some classy some not. Usually he only went to clubs to pick up dick or ass. Certainly the state of the bathrooms was similar, but at least no one was hiding.

 

Chanyeol ignored the uncomfortable sounds for once in favor of wetting paper towels with soapy water and dabbing at his clothes. Sehun leaned against the sink next door and watched Chanyeol with crossed arms. The taller man scrubbed at his shirt furiously. Sehun wondered how long it would take before Chanyeol scrubbed the graphic print right off it. Why was he trying so hard to clean it? Sehun was more worried about the expensive looking jacket that had drips of alcohol still running off it. Was it his favorite shirt? Was it simply that Chanyeol had finally snapped? It was probably the second one.

 

“Wiping it isn’t going to help, it’s not a ketchup stain. You’re going to have to take it off, soak it, and then dry it,” Sehun said and reached out for the wet napkin that was now more of a blob of wet tissue particles.

 

Chanyeol pulled away then sighed and plopped the tissue into the sink where another wad was from some previous litter bug. “Who was that guy your brother dragged off?”

 

“Oh, you saw them? I guess Luhan got worked up enough he forgot to mask himself. That’s Jongin, he’s an anti-cupid.”

 

Chanyeol ruffled his hair. “What in the world is an anti-cupid? Do they try and, like, break people up?”

 

“No, they’re more like grim reapers. They just come when any important relationship needs to end. It might not be your true love, but if it’s a person that impacted you, they come to make sure it ends properly. Sometimes it’s a good thing and sometimes it’s tragic.”

 

“That sounds awful, but I can’t really…he’s been ruining my dates? That’s what Luhan was yelling.”

 

Sehun shrugged. Luhan had shouted a lot of things when he dragged Jongin away to kick him into a bloody pulp of heartbreak off in some corner. “He really only ruined that date with Luna, but you said you weren’t even really interested in her. He only messes with me when Luhan’s involved.”

 

Chanyeol frowned. “Oh…so Jessica was my fault?”

 

Sehun patted Chanyeol’s back. “You seem to be doing just fine with Hyuna.”

 

Chanyeol looked into the mirror and grimaced. “She makes me nervous. I haven’t made out with a girl in so long and she just shoved her tongue down my throat.”

 

“Yeah, she’ll do that. Maybe you should go home with her. My apartment’s closer than yours and we have a washer and a drying line. I’m staying with my brother tonight, there’s kimchi spaghetti at my old house.”

 

Chanyeol blushed. “You’re suggesting I have sex with her? We just met today.”

 

“Trust me, she won’t mind. And you should make sure your bodies are compatible, too.”

 

“But, it’s been so long, what if I mess that up?”

 

“That’s the good thing about Hyuna, she can lead. All you have to do is lay there and do what she tells you.”

 

Chanyeol tilted his head and frowned. “How do you know all of this?”

 

Sehun cleared his throat. He hadn’t told Chanyeol that he had sex with Hyuna not even a week ago and that it was a reoccurring thing. “She’s my roommate isn’t she?”

 

“Yeah, I guess,” Chanyeol said.

 

Sehun moved around him and grabbed some more napkins from the dispenser and started to pat at Chanyeol’s jacket. “You should just try and dry off. Hyuna’s probably at the bar drinking herself.”

 

Chanyeol took the napkins from Sehun and patted at himself. “I don’t really like girls that smell like beer.”

 

“Hyuna doesn’t like beer. I’ll wait outside.”

 

Sehun left the bathroom first and looked around. There was a small line for the stalls in the women’s bathroom and a couple men hanging out in front of the men’s trying to not make it obvious they were waiting for stalls to be cleared out. Sehun thought they’d be waiting for a while if they didn’t go in and start banging on the doors for the other men to cum faster.

 

He pulled out his cellphone to see a text from Luhan saying he was leaving. There was a frowning face at the end of the text and Sehun guessed Luhan had started getting hit on the moment he had stopped using his mask. He put his phone away and almost yelled when Jongin suddenly rushed up to him all wide eyed and scared.

 

“Sehun help me,” Jongin said and clutched to Sehun’s shirt. “Luhan was beating me up, but then that girl…your roommate?...well, she’s crazy. She saw us and started hitting on Luhan when he was beating me up. I don’t like people hitting on Luhan so I told her to stop and she started hitting on me and she touched me in inappropriate places.”

 

Sehun raised a brow. “Why don’t you just mask out?”

 

“I can’t, Luhan used a time out spell on me for an hour,” Jongin said. “He was really mad especially when your roommate started touching me. I think he left because I can’t find him to take it off.”

 

Sehun frowned. Time out spells were just a way to temporarily take away a cupid’s power. Usually it was only used on newborn cupids (Sehun had often gotten it after their father had gone though it hadn't really done much for him) or on cupids who didn’t understand the responsibility of their jobs and how hard it really was. “Why don’t you just leave then?”

 

Jongin shook Sehun’s collar a bit. “I would, but I find her again every time I get close to an exit or entrance.”

 

“Well, when Chanyeol comes out, you should be able to escape. Just keep running away when she comes. It’ll be troublesome if she looses interest in Chanyeol and you almost already caused a mishap. It was lucky Hyuna found it cute Chanyeol ‘spilled his drink on himself because she made him hard’.”

 

“He wasn’t hard, he was as limp as spaghetti,” Jongin pointed out.

 

“I know, but Hyuna’s a bit drunk already.”

 

Jongin nodded and pulled away only to stiffen up when a familiar voice called out. “Hey, hey you! Oppa?”

 

Jongin cringed and so did Sehun mostly for the fact Hyuna thought Jongin was older than her. She rushed out of the crowd standing outside of the area with the bathrooms and clung to Jongin’s arm. The anti-cupid stared at her hands around his arm as if they were a lioness’ teeth sinking into his flesh, pure horror written in his eyes. Sehun knew Jongin was pretty innocent, even if Sehun had caught him having wet dreams about his brother on the roof of the school that time Jongin masqueraded as a student, but it was amusing to see how much he freaked out when women hit on him.  

 

“Oppa~ why did you leave me? You didn’t answer me when I asked you if you were complimented on your lips. They look like they’d feel nice to kiss,” she said staring up at Jongin’s face.

 

Sehun frowned. Indeed she was drunk off whatever she had snuck into the apartment and drank before meeting them and what she’d gotten at the bar. She smelled a bit fruity.

 

“I…I…”Jongin spluttered.

 

Hyuna just reached up a finger and told him to hush. “Shh, you don’t have to answer, I’ll find out myself.” She leaned up and pressed her lips to a wide eyed Jongin’s.

 

Chanyeol chose that moment to walk out. “Sehun I…I should go home.”

 

Sehun turned and felt his chest tighten a bit at the look of utter depression that covered Chanyeol’s face. The taller man started out of the club and Sehun followed, kicking Hyuna a bit as he passed so that she’d look away from Jongin and the anti-cupid could make his escape. Outside, he called out to Chanyeol.

 

“Hey, aren’t you cold? You should wait until you’re dried to leave.”

 

Chanyeol turned and threw a napkin at Sehun’s face. It hit directly on point and Sehun blinked as it fell onto the snow dusted sidewalk.

 

“Are you trying to ruin my life, Sehun? I asked for a girlfriend, not some one night stand with your roommate with benefits.”

 

Sehun blinked more, mouth opening and closing. He probably looked stupid.

 

“You really thought I wouldn’t notice? I’m not stupid and she kept giving hints, too. I mean, she grabbed my…penis…and compared it to yours and don’t you dare tell me that’s just because you guys share an apartment. I want a girlfriend, one I can marry. Hyuna’s probably not a bad girl, but she’s still playing around and I don’t want that.”

 

Sehun clenched and unclenched his fists. “I just…wanted to give you more confidence in yourself. It’s frustrating that you’re so awkward with girls you find attractive, but a perfect gentlemen with the ones you’re not interested in. I thought if you slept with a hot girl, you’d be able to talk to them. I wasn’t planning on Hyuna being your girlfriend.”

 

“Sehun,” Chanyeol growled, “I told you at the beginning that I didn’t think of sex as something you could just do with anyone when you felt like it. Sex is serious to me. I have to be in love with the person, or at least in a relationship long enough for a trust bond to have form. I’m not like you.”

 

I’m not like you.

 

Chanyeol sighed and turned back around. “I’m going home. Call me if you’re going to actually help me and not belittle me or don’t, I don’t really care anymore, Oh Sehun.”

 

Sehun watched Chanyeol walk away. He shivered, but thought Chanyeol must feel colder walking in such little clothes in winter soaked in alcohol. He hoped Chanyeol never became like him.

 

 


	8. “Who would give a law to lovers? Love is unto itself a higher law.” – Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy

**8.**

**“Who would give a law to lovers? Love is unto itself a higher law.” – Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy**

 

1\.            For a full twenty-four hours Sehun thought to give up on Park Chanyeol. The guy was hopeless and too pure for his age and position in society. A guy who shared that nice of an apartment with an up and coming model shouldn't factor love in when it came to marriage in Sehun's opinion. Also, in Sehun's opinion, Chanyeol was much too young to be thinking about marriage anyways. He should be thinking about becoming even richer, enjoying all the people who would love him for who he was becoming and then when he was forty, marry some young girl who was satisfied with a diamond necklace every couple of months or even a model friend of Byun Baekhyun's. Models were always a good decision to have hanging off your arm during press conferences and showcases.

 

It was while lounging on the couch watching a cartoon having called in work 'sick' that Sehun remembered that, indeed, those were only his opinions. For someone with his area of study and family background, he often didn't think about how others thought. Which could probably explain his 2.8 GPA currently. Kyungsoo often threatened him to get it up to a 3.00 before he graduated. So maybe continuing to help Chanyeol would be beneficial not only to his sex life with Luhan not chewing him out every time he decided to drop by and couldn't find Sehun, but maybe he would do better on his reports. Maybe this could be his thesis. Thinking about school gave Sehun a headache, though, so he called Chanyeol.

 

Chanyeol didn't pick up.

 

When Sehun called him the next day, his cell went straight to voicemail.

 

By Tuesday, Sehun was ready to barge over to Chanyeol's apartment and stuff a handful of rose petals down his throat in hopes that would turn him into a quiet Casanova and then he would have a reason to not pick up Sehun's calls.

 

Sehun finally reached Chanyeol on Wednesday morning, or what Sehun liked to call after-bedtime. The sun would start picking up any moment now and Sehun had spent all night working on a paper for school, one he tried not to make crappy, but was pretty sure would still get him a shit grade. Chanyeol's voice was raspy, a rumble in his throat like a lion's purr. Sehun felt scared for a second, but also intrigued. He had never seen Chanyeol's sleeping face. Actually, he hadn't seen how Chanyeol was a lot of the time. They had only known each other for, what, a month? That seemed a lot longer than it actually was.

 

“Park Chanyeol,” Chanyeol greeted on the phone then yawned.

 

Sehun laughed. Chanyeol's yawn ended with a high pitched sound. “You finally answered my call.”

 

“Who is this?” Chanyeol asked. He sounded really confused.

 

“Oh Sehun,” Sehun answered with a sigh. So he had only answered because he was too tired to look at the caller id. Well, that was why Sehun had tried to call him at this time of night.

 

“Oh,” Chanyeol said, “what did you want?”

 

He didn't sound angry, just sleepy and still confused. Sehun guessed he would probably fall right back to sleep and forget this conversation even happened if not push it off to being part of a weird dream.

 

“Well,” Sehun started, “I planned on continuing to help you, so I'm going to. There are still a couple weeks until Valentine's Day.”

 

“Hmm,” Chanyeol agreed. Sehun heard rustling and guessed it was Chanyeol nodding his head.

 

“Then I'll be there tomorrow after class, don't forget.”

 

Of course, when Sehun got there that afternoon, Chanyeol was no where insight. Instead, Sehun was face to face with a pale white face to rival Suho's, long feminine fingers wrapped around the edge of the door, and eyeliner smudged around small glittering eyes.

 

“Oh, who are you?” the person asked.

 

“Oh Sehun, you must be Byun Baekhyun,” Sehun deducted. He had yet to meet Chanyeol's roommate, and he had to say, he wasn't impressed. Except his hands, Byun Baekhyun definitely had model hands.

 

“Are you a fan of mine?” he asked with a polite smile. “I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave, I can't have you bothering my friend at his place.”

 

Sehun frowned. “No, you live here, with Park Chanyeol.”

 

Byun Baekhyun's face immediately dropped and he glared hard at Sehun. “Are you paparazzi, a stalker? I'll have security on you.”

 

Sehun rolled his eyes. “I don't have business with you, Byun Baekhyun. I'm looking for Park Chanyeol. We have matters to discuss.”

 

Byun Baekhyun cocked one of his hips to the side and filled up more of the doorway. “What business do you have with him?”

 

“You can say I'm his matchmaker,”

 

“Oh no,” he said with a sigh, “did he really go out looking for a matchmaker, that big idiot.” Byun Baekhyun pushed the door aside and gestured Sehun to follow him in.

 

Sehun followed him in and took a seat on the bar in the kitchen were a set of mixers was set out. Byun Baekhyun walked up behind them and pulled out a second glass. “Are you old enough to drink? You look quite young.”

 

“I'm old enough to drink,” Sehun answered. “Is Chanyeol not here?”

 

“No, he's at work.” Byun Baekhyun started to shake the drink then poured it into the two glasses. “Did he know you were coming?”

 

“I called him, but it was four o'clock this morning.”

 

Byun Baekhyun laughed. “Four? Why so early?”

 

Sehun took one of the drinks and took a long sip from it. The stinging of the alcohol shocked his nerves into calming down and the sweetness added a lightness to his mood. “Because I made him angry.”

 

“Oh? Chanyeol doesn't get angry often, what did you do?”

 

“I've put him on two dates. The first they seemed to both be having fun with. Something happened that wasn't his fault, so the girl didn't want to go on another date with him, but when I asked Chanyeol about it, he said he wasn't interested in her anyways. Then I set him up with a girl completely opposite from her and he was a nervous mess, so I got my roommate to go on a date with him. She's pretty open about sex so I thought she could give him some confidence.”

 

“But she's in love with you?” Byun Baekhyun guessed.

 

Sehun scoffed. “Complete opposite. We hate each other. Have you ever had hate sex before? It's not sexually satisfying in the least, but at least you don't feel like tearing the other person's head off anymore afterwards.”

 

“So you guys had hate sex with each other? I'm guessing Chanyeol was mad you guys tried to set him up with a one night stand then. He's very sensitive on that subject. I've tried to do the same, but I'm his friend, not the person who's supposed to be professionally doing this. How did he even get to asking you in the first place?”

 

Sehun glanced over at Byun Baekhyun. He was leaning against the counter swirling a fancy straw around in his drink. He had on a t-shirt and jeans, but his hair was styled and more than just his eyeliner was smudged. Sehun guessed he had just gotten back for a shoot.

 

“He thought I was a love fairy because I got an arguing couple to quite arguing. They were in my way and there wasn't anything else I could do.”

 

Byun Baekhyun laughed, some of the alcohol spluttering from his lips as he did. “A love fairy? So this wasn't actually something you do for a living?”

 

“No,” Sehun answered, “it's something my family does, I didn't want any part of it, but my brother persuaded me to help. And now I kind of...want to keep going with it.”

 

“Well,” Byun Baekhyun said, “I suppose family habits die hard.”

 

Sehun felt bitter with how right Byun Baekhyun was in saying that.

 

“Are you done with it?” Byun Baekhyun asked.

 

Sehun finished drinking and handed the glass to the hand model. He moved to the sink and began cleaning out his mixer equipment.

 

“You know, I can tell you what you're doing wrong, Oh Sehun.”

 

“What do you mean?” Sehun asked. There was a lot he was doing wrong, and if he thought about it, why hadn't he thought to ask Chanyeol's actual friend about who to hook him up with before?

 

“Your problem is, you're setting him up with women. Chanyeol treats cute and sweet girls like his Noona and girls with lots of confidence and sex appeal scare him. I'm pretty sure it's because his sister has lots of friends like that and they always teased him when he was young.”

 

“So, what sort of girl should I hook him up with?” Sehun asked.

 

Byun Baekhyun turned and a slow smirk pulled at his lips, eyes glittering with mischief. “That's the problem. Don't hook him up with a girl.”

 

Sehun furrowed his eyebrows. Don't hook him up with a girl? Then who was he supposed to hook him up w...oh. Oh! Sehun's eyes widened. Byun Baekhyun laughed seeing his expression and went back to washing things up.

 

“He likes to deny it and he's pretty good at hiding it, but if you want proof, there is a certain something hiding under someone's bed.”

 

Sehun stood and ran to Chanyeol's room. He slid along the floor and started to dig under Chanyeol's bed, personal space respect be damned. He found a few wadded up boxers that had his brow raised seeing some of the stains on them, a pack of small condoms with only two missing that Sehun could only wonder what he was using those for then had to not wonder because those images weren't really needed. (Maybe after Valentine's when Sehun was bored.) Finally, he found a box, and upon opening it, saw piles on piles of pictures of men, mostly models and celebrities, some looked like they were cut out of yearbooks or taken at events. On the back of a few of them, written like research findings, were a few lines briefly about whether he had gotten an erection or even cum from looking at the pictures. There were a few girls in the mix. Most of them had a big NO written on the back.

 

There was a feeling of pity, humor, and glee mixed in Sehun's stomach, but mostly glee. So Park Chanyeol was gay. A boyfriend for Valentine's for a guy who had no experience, now how many people did Sehun know that would jump on that?

 

Sehun rushed out of the room and up to Byun Baekhyun, a smile on his face. “Where is Chanyeol right now?”

 

Baekhyun laughed. “You're oddly happy about this.”

 

“I have more connections with gay men than straight women,” Sehun said.

 

“Well, there's n fashion and art exhibition tonight. I think he went to paparazzi it.”

 

“Paparazzi?” Sehun asked. Chanyeol was a photographer for a journal, wasn't he?

 

“Oh, did Chanyeol not tell you? I'm best friends with every celebrities' worst nightmare.”

 

**❤**

 

2\.                A journalist my ass, Sehun thought as he stalked down the streets headed for the showcase Baekhyun had mentioned before. Paparazzi. Sehun had thought Chanyeol was all innocent and pure intentions, but to find out he had actually had a dark side once upon a time was amazing to Sehun, even if it was a pretty pathetic dark side that even Sehun wouldn't have crossed. (Sehun had a lot more lines he would cross, though, such as making two of the security guards temporarily horny for each other to let him in. It probably would have been a good idea to bring Luhan with him, but he was in a hurry.) He just wanted to gloat about it to that tall puppy's face.

 

Speaking of which, Chanyeol stood out in the crowd like a vegetarian option on a menu, a long daikon root in that tan trench coat, brown hair slicked back. Sehun pushed through the crowd of other reporters and photographers, ignoring cusses thrown at his back. He was quite use to getting cussed at behind his back, Hyuna did it all the time. He stood behind Chanyeol for a couple minutes in which the other man didn't even notice he was there, too busy clicking away at his camera and jotting notes down on a little notebook that hung around his neck with the camera. The miniature pencil that he used was tucked behind one of his butterfly like ears and Sehun reached up, stealing it, when he got fed up with waiting for Chanyeol to notice him. The next time Chanyeol reached up for the pencil, he ended up just grabbing his ear and jumped then started to look around frantically. He jumped again when he finally saw Sehun standing there with his arms crossed and foot tapping.

 

“Sehun! What are you doing here?” he asked.

 

Sehun waved the pencil around. “A little black eyed bird told me where you were.”

 

Chanyeol was watching the pencil in Sehun's hand, but cocked his head at the answer. “Black eyed? Baekhyun? You met him?”

 

“I did,” Sehun said and reached up, sticking the pencil in Chanyeol's gel stiffened hair. He looked like Pebbles from that prehistoric American cartoon. “And he told me some interesting stuff.”

 

A dark look immediately took over Chanyeol's face and Sehun wondered how much interesting stuff Baekhyun knew about the man in front of him. He'd have to ask him stuff more often.

 

“What did he tell you?” Chanyeol asked.

 

“Well, he told me you were a paparazzi photographer.”

 

Chanyeol held up a hand. “I use to be a paparazzi photographer. I'm just a normal celebrity photographer...who sells candid shots on the side.” He ended with a sigh.

 

Sehun raised a brow smirking. “That's why you're so good at stalking.”

 

“It's not something I'm proud of,” Chanyeol said and fiddled with his camera. “I had to do it at first to pay for college and to get connection into the job market. Eventually celebrities were willing to just give me good recommendations and invite me to stuff so I wouldn't take pictures of them. Now I just sell to government workers or other celebrities who daughters or sons want candid pictures of their favorite celebrities. Quite a few of them are willing to pose.”

 

“Sounds like quite the organization there,” Sehun teased.

 

“It's not like that. I don't threaten them, they just find me...cute I guess.”

 

“And you didn't try dating any of them?” Sehun asked.

 

“A couple, but it's hard for me to talk to girl celebrities. They're actually pretty scary or pretty normal.”

 

Sehun nodded.

 

One of the other reporters shouted something out along the lines of 'Wu Yifan and Kim Taeyeon just arrived together!' Chanyeol immediately turned around and started snapping pictures at the red carpet that led up to the showcase. A tall man had just walked out of a limo escorting a shorter girl with a sweet smile. She held onto his arm politely and waved at the reporters. The man winked at a couple of them, but mostly looked forward. Sehun wouldn't deny he was handsome, blonde hair and perfect everything. The type that would look gorgeous guy or girl, the envy of everyone, but not Sehun's type. Sehun didn't really like too perfect. He heard a giggling beside him and noticed Chanyeol was clicking his camera much too fast for it to be actually taking pictures. Sehun turned back to the man. He had seen him somewhere before. Not the kind of somewhere that included television or magazines because Sehun probably had, but somewhere intimately, and then he remembered the box he'd seen under Chanyeol's bed. This man had filled the frames of most of the written on pictures. Chanyeol's man crush.

 

“There was something else Byun Baekhyun told me,” Sehun said after Wu Yifan and his date had walked into the building and Chanyeol had calmed down.

 

“What?” Chanyeol asked cleaning his camera lens.

 

“That you're gay.”

 

Chanyeol stiffened, but continued with cleaning then changing the lens on his old timey looking camera. “No I'm not, he is.”

 

“I saw the box,” Sehun said flatly.

 

Chanyeol almost dropped a lens. He looked over at Sehun who just stared right back then groaned. “I don't want a boyfriend.”

 

“Too bad, you're getting one. I got hired to get you a date by Valentine's, you're getting a date for Valentine's. Now suck up your denial and learn how to suck dick.”

 

“Sehun~” he whined.

 

“You can marry a man, it just won't be recognized in South Korea. You can get married in Spain, I think, that's pretty close to Italy.”

 

Chanyeol continued to whine, but it all fell on deaf ears. Sehun just wrapped an arm around Chanyeol's shoulders and started to lead him away from the crowd whether he was done taking photos or not.

 

“So, Chanyeol, tell me about this Wu Yifan you have a man crush on.”

 

**❤**

 

3\. It was more than a crush, it was an obsession Sehun learned as he and Chanyeol sat drinking bubble tea. Chanyeol spewed things Sehun had never desired to know about a celebrity, all the way from Wu Yifan's favorite color to the estimated size of his dick via various pictures of him dancing in sweatpants that Sehun assumed were probably stashed in Chanyeol's box of masturbation. He learned Chanyeol had actually been stalking him lately, but Wu Yifan had always been a major idol of his, just more so now that he could get closer to him and get paid for it. It must be nice to have a company bail you out when you got caught stalking. Sehun had a fear that maybe setting Chanyeol up with someone like Wu Yifan, it would end up like the date with Jessica and Chanyeol would make a complete fool of himself, but then again this Wu Yifan might find that cute and Sehun had this feeling that Chanyeol needed someone that would take care of him. Wu Yifan was taller, and by Chanyeol's description, a teddy bear.

 

There was only one problem that Sehun didn't consider until he was safely tucked away in his blankets, smug smile suddenly turning into a frown. He asked Luhan about it when he dropped by the house (there had been mention of steak being cooked last night and he was hoping for leftovers). Luhan checked his Cupid Book only to slam it close and refuse to help in this situation. It was suspicious behavior, but Sehun didn't care. He decided to approach Byun Baekhyun about it since the hand model had given him his phone number. “Call encase you need another pair of hands to prove he's gay if Chanyeol decides to deny it,” he had said. Sehun wasn't sure what he meant by offering hands and he tried not to entertain the idea for too long. Chanyeol had indeed tried to deny it often, but between spews of obvious affection for various idols, not only Wu Yifan, Sehun caught him staring at several men's butts passing by the window outside. He called Chanyeol out on it and that was the last confirmation they needed. Byun Baekhyun had happily tattled off about his fellow idol confirming Wu Yifan was indeed interested in men, though he occasionally did take on a serious girlfriend here and there. He had even admitted to hooking up with him once and that was really all Sehun needed to know and hung up in the middle of the hand model explaining how good of a kisser Wu Yifan was.

 

It wasn't easy going to see Wu Yifan. Sehun had to don practice sweats he hadn't worn since high school and feign being a trainee. That part had been believable, but apparently there were sections of the company Wu Yifan worked for that didn't allow trainees. As a Chinese raced idol, Sehun also had to worry if Wu Yifan had jumped on a plane and headed back home or to shoot a Chinese drama. Luckily, it wasn't such and Sehun's luck was shining bright. He literally ran into Wu Yifan in the bathroom. He hadn't even been going in, just walking past and this tall man (though not as tall as he had seemed on the red carpet, his height was just a little more irritating than Chanyeol's) walked straight into him.

 

“Oh, I'm sorry, are you alright?” he asked.

 

He appeared generally concerned. Chanyeol had said he was kind. It made Sehun feel a bit bitter. “Totally fine, sunbaenim.”

 

Wu Yifan smiled 'like the sun greeting the east' (Chanyeol's words) and it pissed him off. Only anime characters were supposed to smile like that. Sehun shuffled his feet and tried to look nervous. “Um, sunbaenim,” he hated how submissive he sounded, but it was all for the good of Chanyeol's love life. Why did he care about that again? “I have a request since I ran into you.”

 

“Oh, do you want an autograph? I thought I gave one already to all the trainees.”

 

He gave autographs to all the trainees? His niceness was really pissing Sehun off. “It's not that. I was wondering if you could meet my friend.”

 

Wu Yifan frowned. “Sorry, but I can't go around meeting your friends, that's unfair to the rest of the fans.”

 

“No, this friend is in love with you.”

 

Wu Yifan laughed. It was a polite and amused laugh. Sehun added it to the things of Wu Yifan that pissed him off.

 

“I'm sure they are,” he said.

 

“He,” Sehun corrected and let a smirk loose. “He is in love with you.”

 

“I'm not gay,” Wu Yifan frowned.

 

Sehun shrugged. “You can be if you want, I won't tell anyone. I heard you were and thought maybe my friend had a chance. How about it.”

 

Wu Yifan pulled out his cellphone and pretended to text. “I have to go. Let's not continue this discussion. You should focus on your debut.”

 

Sehun frowned. When Wu Yifan turned to leave, he reached out, hand glowing and sparkling with pink. Wu Yifan turned and Sehun smiled angelically at him.

 

“Sunbaenim, give me your phone number so I can set up a date for you and my friend.”

 

Wu Yifan's eyes went wide then glazed over and he handed over his phone with a polite smile.


	9. “Kisses are a better fate than wisdom.” – E.E Cummings

**9.**

_**“Kisses are a better fate than wisdom.” – E.E Cummings** _

 

1\. “How in the world did you get Wu Yifan to go on a date with _me_?” Chanyeol asked for the tenth time that afternoon as Sehun raided his closet.

 

Sehun rolled his eyes and threw a sleeveless hoodey at Chanyeol seated on the bed. “I just convinced him a little bit.”

 

“You better not have used magic to make him fall in love with me or something.”

 

Sehun peeked behind him to see Chanyeol pouting as he pulled the hoodey over his thin t-shirt, edge of it lifting to show just a line of his abdomen over his boxers. “I just made sure he wanted a date. He could have said no when I sent him the picture of you. I don't have the powers to make him fall in love with you.”

 

“Alright, alright,” Chanyeol agreed, “but what about that anti-cupid?”

 

“It'll just be me tailing you today. I didn't invite my brother so Jongin won't try to mess with you even if we do run into him.” Probably, he added to himself.

 

“If you're sure,” Chanyeol said. “How do I look? Do I look fashionable enough to go on a date with a high end celebrity?”

 

Sehun grabbed a jacket from Chanyeol's closet and turned. He made a circle around Chanyeol and hummed to himself. “Hip hop style fits you well and it's popular on the street. We'll put a hat on you. Wu Yifan will probably be wearing a hat.”

 

“Do you know where we're going?” Chanyeol asked.

 

“Wu Yifan said he'd do all the planning, just meet him downstairs.”

 

A few minutes later, they were in the lobby of Chanyeol's apartment, Sehun pushing the taller man forward every few steps when he paused, about to say something ridiculous like 'How do you go on a date with another man?' or 'I know he's a nice guy, but nice guys might still expect sex on the first date, lots of guys expect sex, I'm not ready to loose my butt virginity' (the second Sehun answered at least three times with 'How do you know you're bottoming?'). They finally made it outside with a hard push from Sehun. Wu Yifan was fiddling around with his phone on the wall of the front of the apartment, a fedora hat covering his upper face and a scarf around his mouth. Sehun thought he still stood out with his sleek coat and super star radiance.

 

Chanyeol glanced back at Sehun with a glittery eyed nervous look. Sehun waved his hands at Chanyeol to hurry up and went over to a stand with newspapers. He had a feeling this date would go better than Chanyeol seemed to think it would. He had never anticipated Chanyeol being gay, but it made sense after thinking about it and he had probably just set him up on his dream date seeing as how much talking Chanyeol had done after Sehun got off the phone with Wu Yifan confirming the date. That was right before Chanyeol started doubting himself.

 

Sehun almost missed them leaving. He took the paper and lifted it up occasionally when he thought Wu Yifan might turn around and look. Unlike with Luna and Hyuna, he didn't know Wu Yifan and he didn't know any of his relatives like he had with Jessica. It would be awkward if Wu Yifan was to know that he was tailing their date to make sure nothing went wrong. It could also potentially deduct points from the celebrity's attraction to Chanyeol, and he had seemed fairly attracted when he agreed to the date over the phone.

 

They ended up roaming the streets and picking up any food Chanyeol stared at for more than five seconds. Wu Yifan stopped at a streetside sale and bought Chanyeol a t-shirt with a flaming bird on it and he could hear from where he stood examining soccer cleats Luhan wouldn't shut up about, Chanyeol trying to insist on buying Wu Yifan one with a dragon. He faintly remembered Chanyeol rambling on about a dragon being the celebrity's symbol or something. They stood in a long line for hotteok for a long time and Sehun almost froze, mouth salivating watching everyone eat the sweet or savory fried pastries so popular in winter. (He had gotten in line, but then Chanyeol and Wu Yifan started down the street.) Half way through, Sehun wondered if he was even needed anymore. Chanyeol was laughing and shyly joking with the celebrity. It was a whole 180 from the dates with the girls Sehun had hooked him up with. He seemed just the perfect balance of relaxed and nervous.

 

Eventually, they ended up at the movies, probably more to escape a fan that had recognized Wu Yifan than to actually watch one. The movie was actually interesting, or at least Sehun assumed so since Chanyeol wouldn't stop laughing. He used his hands in overactive enthusiasm at some parts and gasped louder than Sehun thought was necessary at others. Sehun noted a few weird looks Wu Yifan threw at Chanyeol at the beginning and Sehun was half worried Chanyeol was screwing up his chance by having too much fun, but then Wu Yifan started smiling at him and an arm went behind Chanyeol's theater seat then flopped down around his shoulders.

 

Sehun wished he had known what was so great about the movie, but he spent the whole hour and a half on the edge of his seat, heart beating rapidly, watching Wu Yifan affectionate arm.

 

**❤**

 

2\. “So, is he everything you dreamed of?” Sehun asked following Chanyeol into the bathroom after the movie had finished.

 

Chanyeol jumped from his spot at the far urinal, hands quickly working to stuff himself back into his pants. “Sehun, you scared me.”

 

“You're lucky it wasn't Wu Yifan that came in, or maybe you'd probably have left your dick out for him.”

 

Chanyeol made a face at Sehun and went into one of the stalls instead to finish his business. Sehun waited by the sinks, playing with the automatic spouts. He was pushed away by Chanyeol when the other came out to wash his hands in one of the many already running fountains.

 

“You didn't answer my questions,” Sehun said and handed Chanyeol a handful of napkins.

 

“Oh,” Chanyeol said and grabbed the napkins. He had a huge pearly white grin on his face when he looked up at Sehun that stretched from one sticky-outy ear to the other. “More than I could have imagined.”

 

Sehun rolled his eyes. “You sound like a girl.”

 

Chanyeol froze with the napkins wadded up in a wet ball between his hands. Sehun wondered if he'd said the wrong thing. He snapped his fingers in front of Chanyeol's face. The older responded by turning away.

 

“Am I really acting like a girl?”

 

“Oh geez,” Sehun sighed. He pressed a hand to Chanyeol's shoulder. “Does this have to do with you denying you were gay?”

 

Chanyeol shrugged Sehun's hand away and nodded. “It wasn't having sex with guys that kept me in denial. It was not being able to marry and acting like one of _them_.”

 

“You know, not all gays are flamboyant. The ones that I know that are were like that when they were still denying it themselves and we're in Korea; flamboyant is all the rage on variety shows.”

 

Chanyeol just shrugged again. “I don't have any interest in being someone's entertainment.”

 

“Sorry.” Sehun never apologized, but this was a critical situation. The date was going terribly well. He couldn't let his success go down the drain because of something he said that shouldn't have really mattered anyways.

 

“It's not your fault I have insecurity issues.” Chanyeol threw the wad of napkins into the trashcan then turned toward the bathroom door. “I should go, Yifan's waiting.”

 

Sehun waited a few seconds after Chanyeol left before following. It was snowing when they got outside. Wu Yifan's shoulder kept brushing against Chanyeol's as they walked. Chanyeol laughed about it, said something about if Wu Yifan was cold, then offered his jacket. Sehun got some satisfaction out of the look of embarrassment Wu Yifan had being offered another man's coat. He had probably wanted to do that for Chanyeol.

 

“The spicy rice cakes smell so good,” Chanyeol observed, practically drooling.

 

“You eat a lot, don't you,” Wu Yifan chuckled.

 

Chanyeol held his stomach. “I'm not fat. It all goes to muscle.”

 

Sehun saw a glimpse of lust in Wu Yifan's eyes when he looked Chanyeol up and down.

 

“They're probably better than mine. Well, I can't deny someone food.”

 

Chanyeol held up a hand. “No, you've bought me enough stuff today. I should treat you. This is an equal opportunity date.”

 

Wu Yifan looked a little surprised. Sehun put his hands on his hips. He should have known his comment was still bothering Chanyeol. Chanyeol just smiled and ran over to the closes spicy rice cake stand of the many that lined the street and came back with one order for them to share. They didn't eat and walk. Wu Yifan ushered them to a corner of the sidewalk to eat, looking around at the snowy scenery. Sehun took up a spot against the wall a store down from them and fiddled with his phone, scarf held up high over his mouth so Wu Yifan wouldn't recognize him, though he wasn't sure if the idol would after only one meeting even if they had talked over the phone.

 

It was Chanyeol that got him moving again. A snowflake of the million that fell caught the man's attention and he suddenly went after it. Sehun had the urge to yell after him not to go off alone and so randomly like that, but Wu Yifan beat him to it. He grabbed Chanyeol's wrist and spun him around. Chanyeol showered his idol with a pout and ridiculous explanations of needing to catch the snowflake. Wu Yifan ruffled Chanyeol's hair, effectively shutting him up and linked their arms together starting down the street like normal people. Chanyeol walked beside him diligently, red tinting his cheeks.

 

Sehun continued to follow, hands stuffed in his pocket, watching Chanyeol's expression in order to note whether the date was still going good or not. Occasionally, Chanyeol got that deer in the headlights look and it worried Sehun, but then he would bust out in a relieved smile. Sehun always missed exactly what it was that Wu Yifan said that got such a earnest and pure reaction out of Chanyeol. He seemed so in his element, though still way too awkward for Sehun's taste. If anything, Chanyeol should have tons of confidence.

 

They walked until they reached Chanyeol's apartment then entered together. Sehun was surprised. He hadn't expected Wu Yifan to come all the way back to Chanyeol's apartment even if he had met Chanyeol there for the start of their date, better yet go inside. Sehun hurriedly followed them. There were people walking all over the lobby of Chanyeol's apartment building and it was difficult to get through them while still keeping an eye on Wu Yifan and Chanyeol. They went to the elevator and Sehun immediately made way for the stairs. He ran. It had been years since Sehun had ran without it being for his brother or from Kyungsoo. He felt like his lung would burst by the time he got to Chanyeol's floor. He heaved and licked his lips wishing he had a bottle of water, but it probably would have frozen had he carried one with him. He pressed his forehead against the

the cool of the stairwell door, peaking out of the little window there that looked at the elevator. A couple minutes later, it dinged and Chanyeol and Wu Yifan walked out, hands entangled. Chanyeol looked like he was about to burst at the seams holding his favorite idol's hand after a pleasant date as he led the way to his apartment. Sehun slipped out of the stairwell and quietly followed them, running past on silent feet to stand on the other end.

 

“This is me,” Chanyeol said fiddling with his keys. “Uh...thank you for agreeing to go on a date with me. It's awkward, right? I'm your fan, but you probably do this for everyone because you're so kind.”

 

Wu Yifan leaned against Chanyeol's doorway. “I don't. Taking my fans on dates isn't something I do unless the company tells me to and usually that's televised. I'm glad I decided to take your friend up on the offer of a date with you. There was just this feeling that told me I should consider it. I'm glad I did.”

 

Sehun frowned. That feeling was his cupid magic.

 

Chanyeol smiled anyways. “So you had fun, too?”

 

“I had a lot of fun, Chanyeol. I'd like to have more fun with you again sometime,” Wu Yifan said. His words had a smooth, lubed up feel to them that made Sehun's stomach twist in disgust. Cheeseball.

 

Chanyeol giggled. Like a girl.

 

“I'd like a second date, please.”

 

“Of course. I want to know more about you, everything. You seemed to know so much about me already.”

 

Chanyeol waved his hands, keys clinking. “No, no, I want to know other things, not just what fans know.”

 

Wu Yifan chuckled then placed a hand on Chanyeol's apartment door. “Are you going to invite me in?”

 

Chanyeol's eyes widened. Sehun's eyes widened and he flattened himself more against the wall. Was he going to have to save Park Chanyeol from a date rapist celebrity? He didn't remember any of the moves Luhan taught him. They were soccer moves, but Luhan often used them in self-defense when he didn't mask himself.

 

“Oh,” Chanyeol said. He licked his lips and stood up a bit straighter. “I'm sorry, I can't invite you in, my roommate's here. Byun Baekhyun.”

 

“Byun Baekhyun?” There was an unpleasant note to Wu Yifan's voice as he repeated the name. “I understand, I'd hate to make your roommate uncomfortable.”

 

Chanyeol nodded. “Yes, he might be uncomfortable.”

 

Great cover up, Sehun thought with an eye roll. It was Chanyeol who would be uncomfortable. If he let Wu Yifan into his apartment, the celebrity would probably be expecting sex.

 

“Well, then can I leave you with a kiss?”

 

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Chanyeol said smiling, bobbing his head then suddenly stopping staring up the few inch difference in their heights. “Wait, a kiss?”

 

Wu Yifan didn't say anything. He was an opportunist, Sehun deducted. He couldn't see Wu Yifan's face when he leaned in toward Chanyeol, but he could guess there was a glittering promise in his eyes and a slight smile on his lips that were soft, but chapped just a little by being out in the winter weather. He wouldn't slip Chanyeol the tongue, but it would feel like it, a deep, sweet kiss that was suited for the inexperienced, gentle, or the target of your next seduction.

 

Chanyeol's eyes were opened the whole time. A twitchy smile pulled his lips, probably as a return smile to Wu Yifan when he pulled away. The celebrity whispered a quick goodbye and turned to head back for the elevator. Chanyeol's head followed him and Sehun slowly came out of his hiding place approaching Chanyeol. When Chanyeol saw him, that bright smile showed up again.

 

“He kissed me,” Chanyeol said.

 

Before Sehun could respond, he suddenly felt long strong arms wrapped around his shoulders and a smile against his neck.

 

“Thank you so much, Oh Sehun.”

 

The scarf was still wrapped around his mouth. Anything he said would be muffled by it so he didn't even try. He wouldn't have even been able to. The feel of Chanyeol's heart beating rapidly against his chest through their coats was distracting.

 

**❤**

 

3\. Their next date came sooner than Sehun had expected. It was Monday and Sehun was working the register of the bubble tea shop, a rare occurrence since the manager often said he made the customers nervous either because he was good looking or because he just didn't give off a polite vibe. He was in the middle of grumbling out a customer's amount when the bubble tea shop's door jangled opened and in walked Park Chanyeol laughing, hands clapping overdramatically, at the tall figure next to him. He got the change silently, probably getting it wrong and waited with a frown for them to order.

 

“Oh, Sehun, you're working tonight?” Chanyeol asked coming up to the counter. Wu Yifan had gone to a seat in the corner, a snap back and sick mask covering his face as if that was a good enough disguise.

 

Sehun scoffed. “Of course, you would have known if you had told me about...” he waved his hand in the direction of Wu Yifan, “this.”

 

Chanyeol gave him a sheepish grin. “Sorry, it was a sudden date. Can I have two strawberry flavored?”

 

Sehun just took Chanyeol's order and continued on, peeking over at them happily interacting ever couple of minutes. He was surprised again when Luhan suddenly charged into the shop all bright eyed and giggly. He didn't even bother getting in line, it wasn't like the customers would notice him there.

 

“What's got you in such a good mood?” Sehun whispered handing his apron over to Amber who was working with him that day. She was handsome and pretty plus fun. He liked working with her because he didn't have to do anything as long as she was on the register.

 

“Oh, just a job of mine. I've been waiting for it to show up. Minseok's supposed to meet me here, have you seen him?”

 

Minseok was Luhan's half cupid friend. Sehun hadn't formally met him, but that was mostly because he thought it would be awkward to meet another half cupid and he knew Minseok lived like a normal person. He checked quickly around the shop then pointed in a general direction. “He's over there. I remember he ordered something, but that was before I started on the register.”

 

Luhan pouted and slowly removed his mask. “He's always early. Oh, is that Chanyeol?”

 

“Yeah, he's on a date. I didn't know.”

 

“So it worked out?” Luhan asked. “That's good. Seems like he won't need a cupid anymore.”

 

Sehun frowned.

 

It was a while before anything more happened. Sehun almost didn't even see when Jongin entered. He was a bit crazy eyed and a mischievous grin crossed his face. Sehun felt his heart drop when Jongin's eyes went to Chanyeol and Wu Yifan in the corner. Sehun was in the middle of making a drink, so he couldn't rush over there and he probably wouldn't have made it on time anyways. Jongin easily slid between customers and tables and slowly approached the daters. He tapped Wu Yifan's shoulder then grinned. Sehun could see Chanyeol's eyes go twice their size seeing the anti-cupid.

 

“I thought you said you were on a date, but with Wu Yifan?” he said loud enough for everyone in the shop to stop.

 

There were many young girls for a late Monday night. They all stood and started taking pictures. Wu Yifan stood and so did Chanyeol. Someone whispered gay and Wu Yifan turned to Chanyeol and bowed a bit.

 

“Thank you for the bubble tea, I'll have my people contact your people about further interviews. Give my manager your card,” he said. Trying to save face, Sehun thought.

 

Chanyeol looked confused, but reached in his pocket and pulled out a card. Wu Yifan seemed surprised by it, but took the card anyways. He didn't say bye, just quickly turned to leave, bumping into Minseok's shoulder as Luhan and his friend had gotten up to see what the commotion was about. He apologized and left.

 

Sehun handed the drink over then hurried over to Chanyeol who was just standing there as a bunch of girls threw questions at him. He placed a hand on Chanyeol's shoulder and pulled him outside, glaring at Jongin who stood in a corner grinning to himself. Why had he done that? Chanyeol's and Wu Yifan's date had nothing to do with Luhan's work.

 

“Why did he do that?” Chanyeol asked once they were outside.

 

“Because he's a jerk,” Sehun said. “You should have called me if you were going on another date, I would have made sure you weren't bothered.”

 

“I would have called you, but it happened all of a sudden. He had free time. We were going to go to the movies again after this and Baekhyun wasn't going to be home so I was going to invite him over to watch a movie there.”

 

“You were going to have sex with him?” Sehun asked.

 

Chanyeol went red. “That's not what I meant. I thought it would just be more comfortable and maybe...we'd make out.”

 

“Or you'd get a blow job,” Sehun added.

 

“Shut up, Sehun, it's not like it's going to happen now.”

 

“Why not, you handled yourself pretty well there just now.”

 

Chanyeol sighed and looked up at the dark sky. “Do you think so? I hope he was impressed.”

 

“He'll call you before the weekend,” Sehun said and ushered Chanyeol back home.

 

Wu Yifan didn't call.

 


	10. “I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning

**10.**

_**“I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning** _

 

1\. It wasn't often that Sehun and Luhan were in the same mood, but stomping into Kyungsoo’s and Suho's house after the incident at the bubble tea shop when Sehun's shift ended, they were both cursing Jongin. Chanyeol had texted Sehun saying that Wu Yifan didn't want to see him for awhile afraid of the media, also because perhaps giving Wu Yifan a card that basically said he was part of said media wasn't the greatest move on only the second date. Sehun was mostly pissed because there were only a couple weeks left until Valentine's. If Chanyeol and Wu Yifan hadn't gone out until next weekend then Sehun could have monitored the situation better and assured Chanyeol at least a dream date with his favorite idol on Valentine's. Luhan was pissed because he was always pissed at Jongin, at least that was what Sehun assumed.

 

“That little shit, he just has to ruin everything all the time,” Luhan said, slamming his pink cupid book onto the kitchen table.

 

Sehun quickly looked around wondering if Kyungsoo would pop up and yell at Luhan, though Kyungsoo didn't often yell at Luhan (mostly because he was technically younger than Luhan, a fact Sehun often forgot). The house echoed with the slap and no feet hurried to the kitchen. Kyungsoo and Suho must have been out. Sehun took a seat.

 

“It's partly your fault, hyung. He only comes if you're there,” Sehun said.

 

Luhan turned on him. “Why are you blaming this on me? I don't tell Jongin to follow me around, he doesn't have to.”

 

“He just wants your attention, hyung. You rarely treat him nicely. He's practically our brother.”

 

Luhan slapped the table again. “He is not our brother!”

 

Sehun cringed. It was around the time he had sex for the first time, probably part of the contributor as to why he gave in so easy to his young female teacher, that Sehun doubted Luhan even loved him like a brother. Jongin was created by their father's heartbreak, but it was Sehun who caused his mother to die. Birth in general was difficult. And it was living without her that eventually withered their father away. It wasn't until after their cupid father had gone that Luhan started to treat Jongin so badly. Sehun thought it was ill placed, Jongin had done nothing, he was the effect of their father's heart, not the cause. But maybe it was because Luhan did love Sehun like a brother that he chose to treat the anti-cupid with such disdain.

 

It was Sehun's fault, he thought, so Sehun tried to think positively of Jongin even when he pissed him off.

 

“No, that would make the fact he is in love with you weird,” Sehun finally said after a the echoing had stopped.

 

Luhan's knuckles curled against the table. “Anti-cupids can't love.”

 

Sehun frowned. “And why not? I'm sure they have a better comprehension of love than we do. They're forced to see all the bad and sad parts of it.”

 

Luhan sighed and flopped into his own seat at the table. “You two say the same things, no wonder you got along so well.”

 

“He talked to you?” Sehun asked.

 

“He already told me all of this,” Luhan said and picked up his Cupid Book, flipping through the pages.

 

“No wonder he's been more annoying than usual,” Sehun said and traced lines on the table. “You should just let him love you so he stops screwing up what I'm trying to do. This is why I didn't ask you to tag along last time.”

 

Luhan gave Sehun a mock hurtful look. “It's not my fault. Besides, I didn't go there today for you, Sehun. I had work.”

 

“You were meeting with Minseok, I thought,” Sehun said.

 

Luhan suddenly went red and looked away. “Minseok was part of my work.”

 

Sehun looked at his brother suspiciously. “Minseok's a half cupid, his name doesn't show up in your book.”

 

“Quarter cupid,” Luhan corrected. “His grandfather was a cupid. Minseok doesn't have the pink hair. His name shows up.”

 

Sehun tilted his head. “And whose name shows up beside his?”

 

Luhan bit his lip and buried his face inside his book. “Someone's.”

 

“They were at that bubble tea shop, weren't they? Who was it? I swear if it was Park Chanyeol I will personally tie you up and let Jongin have his way with you whether you like it or not.”

 

Luhan gasped. “ It was Wu Yifan. But, that's called assisted rape and how could you even think about doing that to your own brother?”

 

At first, Sehun didn't catch the name. He opened his mouth to explain to Luhan exactly why he would do that when it suddenly registered and he stood up, slapping his own hands on the table.

 

“You were going to ruin it!”

 

Luhan cringed in his seat. “Well...I didn't know Park Chanyeol would be there. There was a reason I didn't ask to come with you on their date.”

 

Sehun gritted his teeth. “You knew, you knew all this time they weren't going to work and you didn't tell me. Why don't you just tell me who exactly is Park Chanyeol's other half so I can get this done with.”

 

“That's cheating,” Luhan said waving his book at Sehun. “Besides, you use to have one of these but you threw it away. It's not my fault.”

 

“Because I don't want to be a cupid, I just want to help this one hopeless guy get laid, hyung. What did you know about tonight?”

 

Luhan made a face. “Well, Wu Yifan was supposed to be at the bubble tea shop and Minseok was supposed to run into him and have a quick chat. Minseok's face would stay in Wu Yifan's mind for a while then I'd have to plan another way for them to meet and have a longer chat But, then Jongin showed up and ruined everything.”

 

Sehun sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “He didn't ruin anything, hyung, he probably actually helped you. Wu Yifan ran into Minseok when he left and I'm pretty sure they exchanged apologies.”

 

“Oh,” Luhan said, sitting there looking like a deer in the headlights then smiled innocently at Sehun. “Sorry.”

 

Sehun flopped back into his chair. “You shouldn't say sorry to me. Jongin's the one you're always yelling at, go apologize to him.”

 

“I don't want to.” Luhan sounded childish when he said it.

 

“Luhan hyung, you're totally unfair. Someone actually loves you, and they're not human so it's not like you'll have to give up your immortality to be with them. You could be like Kyungsoo and Suho. And working with an anti-cupid might not be a bad idea. “

 

“I don't want to,” Luhan repeated.

 

“He already gets hit on a lot when you put that mask lock on him. You'll regret it when you see Jongin gives up on you and starts flirting back.”

 

“No I won't.”

 

Sehun hummed. Something was forming in his head and it scared him a bit. He hated messing with relationships and he was already doing so with Chanyeol, but their was another relationship that was hindering Park Chanyeol's. If he fixed that, maybe the dates would be more successful. He could always just hit two birds with one stone.

 

“You know, I didn't really like Wu Yifan anyways. He seemed like he was always trying to get into Chanyeol's pants.”

 

“I thought that was what you wanted Chanyeol's dates to do? He's actually a perfect gentlemen according to my notes.”

 

Sehun pulled out his phone and frowned down at Chanyeol's text. He was definitely glad Wu Yifan was out.

 

**❤**

 

2\. Jongin wasn't convinced easily. It made Sehun worry what Chanyeol would say when he found out his blind date was the anti-cupid. He had almost refused anymore help at all in relationships after Sehun had informed him that Luhan had been at the bubble tea shop so he could have Wu Yifan meet his true love. Why couldn't Luhan just hook Chanyeol up with his true love? Sehun wondered that, too, but Luhan always said, “It's cheating, you shouldn't have thrown your book away if you wanted to know.” Sehun spent the whole walk to the arcade forcing Jongin to face forward.

 

“Why am I going on a date with your stupid friend again?” Jongin asked hands grappling with Sehun's in the middle of the sidewalk.

 

“He's not my friend,” Sehun said and pushed Jongin away. “Besides, you're already dressed up.”

 

Jongin crossed his arms, but not before smoothing down his cost-too-much-for-cash dress shirt and casual slacks, like Luhan, no need for a coat. “I'm not dressed up, and if I was, it's not because of Park Chanyeol.”

 

“Of course not, it's all for Luhan.”

 

“I still don't understand why you're suddenly playing cupid to everyone.”

 

Because it was annoying otherwise. “I'm just tired of watching you two run around each other. You're immortal, you two could go on for centuries, but I don't have time for that. If Luhan gets jealous then you get laid.”

 

“You only ever think about getting laid, Sehun.”

 

Sehun gave Jongin a look. “Don't tell me you haven't masturbated to fantasies of my brother in multiple positions.”

 

Chanyeol was already munching on pizza when they arrived. He blushed when he looked up and saw Sehun approaching which really lit up his otherwise dumpster diving look. He had on an old jacket and ripped jeans, hair all all limp in his face. Sehun hadn't realized how depressed Chanyeol actually was about Wu Yifan.

 

“Eating already?” Sehun asked.

 

“I got hungry,” Chanyeol said and quickly tried to tidy up the table.

 

Sehun shrugged and pushed Jongin toward Chanyeol. “Share with your date.”

 

“Him!” Chanyeol exclaimed and pointed at Jongin.

 

“I want to see how you act with a younger guy. Plus, we're trying to hook him up with Luhan so he'll stay out of our way.”

 

“I can't help messing with you if Luhan's around,” Jongin confirmed.

 

Chanyeol frowned. “So this is a fake date?”

 

Sehun sighed and walked up behind Chanyeol, slapping his shoulder. “You deserve some rest after Wu Yifan and don't you want to get back at Luhan for ruining the date you planned yourself?”

 

Chanyeol's eyes turned to slits and he grabbed Jongin's arm, pulling him to sit down next to him in the booth. He stuffed a piece of pizza Jongin's way before the anti-cupid could say anything.

 

“Eat.”

 

Sehun laughed and turned to keep an eye out for Luhan. The cupid arrived just as Sehun had planned he would, maskless and dressed like a twelve year old. Luhan looked younger and if he dressed it, he got hit on less. Sehun moved up to him and grabbed his arm.

 

“Hyung.”

 

Luhan turned to him with an unsure look. “Hey Sehun.” He started looking around the arcade, eyes suddenly landing on Chanyeol then widening when he saw Jongin. “What is he doing here already?”

 

Sehun winced at the venom in Luhan's voice. “Well, I ran out of guys to hook Chanyeol up with and you made it pretty clear you had no interest even considering Jongin's feelings, so I thought 'let's stick the two lonely heartbroken guys together'.”

 

“They...seem to get along.”

 

Sehun looked toward the booth Chanyeol and Jongin had been eating at. They had already finished the pizza and were getting up to play games. They went to the car racing seats first and Luhan tugged him closer. Chanyeol was the first to crash and Jongin laughed at him. After two more rounds, Jongin winning, they moved to the basket shoots. Jongin kept missing and it was Chanyeol's turn to laugh, louder, and win. They were indeed getting along, something Sehun hadn't quite considered could happen. He half expected Jongin to purposely ruin his own date with Chanyeol now that Luhan was there, or even for Chanyeol to end up in a fight with Jongin and punch him in the face. Sehun found himself tugging Luhan after the other two when they went to get ice cream. A group of girls approached Chanyeol and Jongin and started flirting. Luhan's hands moved to Sehun's arm and squeezed hard making Sehun look up at him. The cupid's face was set in hard edges and Sehun wondered if Luhan ever realized he made that face when someone hit on Jongin.

 

Sehun turned back just as Chanyeol and Jongin laughed, having waved the girls away already. A frown formed on his lips and he pulled out his phone not realizing that he was texting until his thumb hovered over the send button. He sent it anyways.

 

**To: Park Chanyeol's**

**From: Oh Sehun**

**Having fun?**

 

Chanyeol popped his head up and looked around. Finding Sehun, he smiled and held a thumb up then went back to his phone.

 

**To: Oh Sehun**

**From: Park Chanyeol**

**Not my type, but he's actually a good kid.**

**Blushed at the girls' compliments.**

**Why doesn't Luhan like him back.**

**Immortal romance sounds nice.**

 

Why Luhan denied to liking Jongin back was a complicated story and Sehun wasn't sure if he'd ever tell Chanyeol about it, but he smiled reading the text and pocketed his phone. “How about we go play, too, hyung?”

 

Luhan let go of Sehun's arm only to cross his own over his chest. The hard edges on his face turned into a pout. “No.” He attempted to move closer to the two enjoying their friendly date. In doing so, he caught the sight of the group of girls Jongin and Chanyeol had just sent off. They looked like high schoolers or middle schoolers, all giggling and learning how to be confident.

 

“Oppa, you're so cute! Are you an ulzzang?” they asked.

 

Luhan got that panicked deer in the headlights look and held his hands up as if they were enough of a barrier to keep the girls off him.

 

“Oppa, are you a Noona? You're too pretty.”

 

“Do you want to meet our Oppa? We have a handsome Oppa. He'll buy you ice cream if you have dinner with him.”

 

“I...I'm O-oppa,” Luhan stuttered.

 

“Hey, didn't I tell you girls not to go badgering guys?” Jongin said.

 

Sehun was surprised to see the anti-cupid stepping up, anger written on his face. He was more the fly than fight kind of guy, but this was his beloved Luhan after all. Sehun took a few steps back.

 

The girls pouted and went farther into the arcade. Jongin reached a hand out for a still shaken Luhan, but got it slapped away. Suddenly, they were both masked. Sehun glanced behind him at Chanyeol who was now looking around the arcade very confused by their sudden disappearance. Sehun gave him a look and nodded toward what appeared to be just two normal people of normal looks standing where Luhan and Jongin where.

 

They were arguing. They were always arguing. Luhan's face was red and he was spitting harsh words at Jongin. The anti-cupid didn't deserve this. Sehun was almost sure, if Jongin had not been created by their father, Luhan would have fallen so easy.

 

“Why are you being so cruel right now?” Jongin asked.

 

And then Luhan finally said it. “Why are you having fun with other people? You're always with someone else, Jongin. Even if you weren't...How can I trust your confession.”

 

Both Sehun and Jongin were stunned. Luhan must have realized what he said as his face grew red and he hurriedly rushed out of the arcade. Jongin didn't even wait a second before rushing after him.

 

Sehun turned to Chanyeol. “We might have completed the mission. Now it's fifty-fifty that they'll 'make love' or end it all.”

 

Chanyeol frowned. “Luhan wasn't saying very nice things to Jongin, was he?”

 

Sehun looked away. “Don't worry so much about it, lets just use the rest of your tokens on the dance battle game.”

 

“I can't dance,” Chanyeol said.

 

With a large white wolf in Sehun's arms as they left the arcade, Sehun realized he really couldn't.

 

**❤**

 

3\. Jongin followed Luhan all the way into an apartment store close by the arcade. He was huffing and puffing when Jongin cornered him in the empty infants section. His face red, arms crossed, and he looked at everything but Jongin.

 

The anti-cupid let out a tired breath, hunched over, and slightly looked up at Luhan. “What did you mean...always with someone else?”

 

“Nothing, it's just a fact, Jongin,” Luhan said shaking his head of frosting pink hair.

 

“Are you jealous, Luhan? If you hate me, why would you care who I'm with?”

 

Luhan looked up startled. “I don't hate you.”

 

Jongin scoffed. “Well you definitely don't like me.”

 

“I can't hate you, Jongin, I'm a cupid.”

 

“So that means you're incapable of hate, but you can still be mean? Just hit me already, seriously, punch me in the face and kick me while I'm down, tell me to go away that you never want to see my face. It's a lot easier than wondering if the little tiffs we have could ever be flirting.” Jongin straightened up and ran a hand through his ash blonde hair. “I still remember your gentle hands. You almost seemed to pity me before I kissed you. You tolerated me teasing you. You were thankful I played with Sehun. Now that I'm older you...are you scared of me Luhan? Anti-cupids have never hurt cupids. We're not your enemies, but if that's why you dislike me...do you understand why I dyed my hair?”

 

Jongin could feel his heart beat quicken. He was spilling too much, but this was it. Sehun was right, they would spend eternity chasing each other around like this and Jongin didn't want to. He wouldn't be a rookie anti-cupid forever. If they were human, Jongin was almost sure someone in his position would have given up already, but Luhan never rejected him, he just threw his confession to the wind. He needed Luhan to believe him and then to answer yes or no.

 

Luhan was still red. He looked away, shame written all over his face. “Does it really seem like I hate anti-cupids? They can't help being what they are and someone has to do it.” He sighed. “I've been unfair then. I don't think like that about the other anti-cupids, and yet I...even if you are Dad's...You don't have to change your hair, Jongin.”

 

“You're really too nice,” Jongin sighed. “Don't apologize, it'll just make me want to love you more. I never even met your father, Luhan. Will you quit blaming me for that?”

 

Luhan blinked his eyes. “I...never thought of blaming you until he left. You were an innocent boy always holding your nurse' hand, playing with Sehun, getting mistaken as a cute girl because you had pretty hair and no mask.”

 

There was a small smile on Luhan's lips as he talked about memories before Jongin had become public enemy number one in his eyes.

 

“And now?” Jongin asked.

 

“Now, you still really suck at using your mask and your pranks aren't cute and...”

 

“And I'm not a kid, Luhan. Are you scared of me?”

 

Luhan's eyes said everything, wide and wavering.

 

Jongin continued. “Brushing off the kiss when I was a child is one thing, and slapping me because I forced a kiss on you I can understand, but don't dismiss my feelings. I can love. I love you.”

 

“What am I supposed to do if you say that,” Luhan whined suddenly, even redder now.

 

Luhan was blushing. Jongin chuckled. Did Luhan always blush when Jongin talked to him? He usually just yelled. Maybe yelling was his way of covering it up. Maybe.

 

“You should let me kiss you.”

 

Luhan looked up and blinked. One of his hands went to his lips, tapping them and then he looked down, hands going to fists at his side and adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed.

 

Nervous.

 

Jongin was too as he leaned forward and softly captured Luhan's lips with his, hands moving to hold onto Luhan's hands. The cupid cringed a bit, but didn't move away. He pressed a little harder and Luhan gasped, head tilting with a soft sound. He didn't close his mouth and Jongin thought it a strange way to kiss. Luhan was a virgin, but he didn't know how much experience Luhan had in other things. He himself had had to act as the breaker upper between couples in high school and that required kissing which he didn't mind since he considered his kiss at nine with Luhan as his first. After a few seconds of trying to ease Luhan into a better kiss, Jongin finally took advantage of his opened kiss. His tongue slid against Luhan's and the other's twitched. Jongin didn't play with him long, taking everything slow and soft almost not believing it when Luhan tried to move his tongue with his. He stepped back, a hopeful soft smile on his lips.

 

“Are you going to hit me?” Jongin asked.

 

Luhan still stayed in his position with fists clenched at his side. “No...I...we shouldn't do these things here.”

 

Jongin looked around. “We're masked, though.”

 

“This is the baby section.”

 

Jongin grimaced realizing that. He looked back at Luhan and grabbed his hand, pulling him through clothes racks until they found the changing rooms the next section over.

 

“W-we can't do that here?” Luhan said.

 

“That'?” Jongin questioned then grinned. “It makes it sound like you're expecting me to do something to you. I guess I should, wouldn't want to let you down.”

 

Luhan smacked his back, but Jongin barely noticed it as he pulled Luhan into one of the changing rooms, locking them in. The cupid immediately moved to the seat and pressed himself into the farthest corner. Jongin stayed by the door.

 

“You kissed me back.”

 

Luhan covered his face with his hands. “I can't help it. You're the first who said they liked me who actually knew me, an annoying cute little kid who messed with me just to get my attention still messing with me as a handsome adult.”

 

“You think I'm handsome?” Jongin asked.

 

Luhan peeked through his fingers at him. “Like you don't know.”

 

“You're pretty,” Jongin said.

 

Luhan groaned. “You're not fair, Jongin. Why do I have to like you?”

 

Jongin frowned and moved to kneel in front of Luhan, hands on the cupid's knees. Luhan removed his hands and looked down at Jongin nervously.

 

“Are you afraid of me, Luhan, not because I'm an anti-cupid.”

 

“There's nothing scary about an anti-cupid, they're just annoying sometimes.”

 

“Then you're scared of me because you think I'll break your heart?”

 

“I...” Luhan said then something seemed to dawn on him and he placed a hand on Jongin's ash blonde dyed hair. “I don't want to have a broken heart.”

 

Jongin smiled. “I already love you, though. Let me show you, just a little bit.”

 

“I'm not ready for sex,” Luhan said.

 

Jongin's fingers went to Luhan's crotch. “You've kept your virginity for how many years? I'm not going to take it so easily. I just want to make you feel good, please.”

 

Luhan nodded. Jongin could tell he was nervous about it, he could practically hear his heart beating a mile a second. Jongin hadn't done anything like this either, but he had heard about it from Sehun and imagined it enough in his dreams.

 

“No one will hear us,” he assured as he slowly undid Luhan's pants and pulled out his soft pink member.

 

Jongin had half hoped Luhan would already be hard from the kiss, but Jongin was barely hard himself. He stroked it and Luhan wriggled, hand hovering over Jongin's as if to keep himself from pulling Jongin's hand away. Luhan hardened in a short time and Jongin licked his lips staring at his leaking tip. His heart was in his throat as he leaned down and took the tip first between his lips. Luhan's body jerked and his hovering hand went to Jongin's hair. Jongin sucked it, slowly getting a taste of Luhan's flesh before taking half of it in. Luhan bucked his hips suddenly, pushing all of it into Jongin's mouth.

 

“S-sorry,” Luhan mumbled then moaned with Jongin tightened around his member.

 

Jongin softened his throat and took the rest in, slowly pulling off and pushing back on. He let his tongue moved as it pleased, licking up throbbing hot veins and teasing Luhan's tip. A moan broke from the cupid and Jongin felt himself get excited, one of his hands sneaking down to rub against his own crotch as he continued to suck Luhan off. Part of him thought the act a bit weird now that he was actually doing it, but most of him could hardly believe he was really doing this. Luhan had fessed up after Jongin made an attempt to forget about him. Perhaps all the teasing, while leaving a bitter feeling between them, also made it to where Luhan couldn't stop thinking about him as much as Jongin could about Luhan.

 

Luhan came before Jongin could try anything more on him, sticky smear of salt and sweet coating his mouth and he swallowed it not sure if he really cared for the taste. He kept palming himself and leaned up capturing Luhan's lips to distract him while Jongin finished himself. Luhan wrinkled his nose into the kiss not pleased with tasting himself, but he tried to kiss back and Jongin was so so thankful for that. It meant Luhan really was taking his feelings seriously. (And because he finally came feeling Luhan's tongue tickle a sweet spot in his mouth.)

 

“You came in your pants,” Luhan said all breathless like.

 

“You came in my mouth.” Jongin grinned.

 

Luhan rolled his eyes and pushed Jongin away, zipping his pants back up. “You're never going to stop teasing me are you?”

 

Jongin didn't plan on it, not when Luhan had given him new ways of doing it.

 


	11. “Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly.” – Rose Franken

**11.**

_**“Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly.” – Rose Franken** _

 

1\. “Oh Sehun, wake up.”

 

Sehun felt a shift in his pillow and blinked around noting the supreme white walls and sophisticated frames with pictures that might have been the ones sold in them from the quality hanging up behind a blue screen television. He looked beside him and noticed a jean covered crotch below his head. He poked it wearily and got his hand slapped away.

 

“Don't touch that, I have to pee.”

 

Sehun looked up to see Park Chanyeol looking down at him with a sleepy frown. He sat up and rubbed his face. It wasn't the first time Sehun had woken up with his face in someone's crotch, but he never expected Chanyeol's. A quick recollection of last night left Sehun uncomfortably disappointed.

 

“I fell asleep,” Sehun said.

 

“It must have been after I did. It's four am.”

 

“What are we doing awake at four am?”

 

“Well, I have to pee now that all that coffee we drank has gone to my bladder, and your phone was ringing. Justin Bieber, really?”

 

Sehun blushed and looked around for his phone. “I needed something that would get my attention.”

 

Chanyeol stood. “Well, it certainly didn't get your attention this time. Maybe you should consider changing it.”

 

Sehun waved Chanyeol off and checked his messages. There was a text from his brother, a text he and Chanyeol had tried to stay up, watching movies and downing strong coffee, for.

 

**From: Luhan Hyung**

**To: Oh Sehun**

**Jongin gave me a blowjob.**

 

Sehun burst out laughing.

 

“What is it?” Chanyeol asked coming back from the bathroom.

 

“Read,” Sehun said and pushed the phone into Chanyeol's face.

 

Chanyeol raised a brow at the phone and let it fall into Sehun's lap like some kind of unwanted trash. “Is this good news or bad?”

 

“Well, considering my brother has been a virgin for a hundred years or something I would think things went quite well with him and Jongin.”

 

“Good for them.” Chanyeol took his seat by Sehun on the opposite end of the couch, pushed up all the way to the armrest. Sehun only took one second to consider the position before focusing on texting Luhan back.

 

“Luhan probably stayed up all night tossing in his bed trying to decide what to tell me,” Sehun mused typing away.

 

“And he chose the blunt response?” Chanyeol asked.

 

“Well, blunt was probably the less embarrassing and easiest for him. Jongin certainly knows how to get Luhan thinking about him.” Sehun clicked sent and stretched his arms up with a yawn.

 

“So, what was their problem anyways?” Chanyeol asked.

 

Sehun sighed. “They're just stupid.”

 

“Why do you say that.”

 

“Well, Luhan's stupid for carring so much and Jongin's stupid for falling in love with the person who blames him the most.”

 

“What do you mean by blames him?”

 

Sehun pocketed his phone. “It's family business, Chanyeol.”

 

“Oh...then I guess it's nothing to do with me.”

 

Sehun glanced at Chanyeol. The other man was curled up into a ball on the armrest like an oversized puppy. He looked tired and pathetic and Sehun supposed he owed Chanyeol a little bit for putting him through the mess that was Luhan's and Jongin's love life. He could afford to tell him the short version.

 

“Our dad was a cupid. He got a million romances and Luhan happened, but thirty years ago, he fell in love with a human girl. They ended up having a relationship, but she had had horrible ones before so wouldn't fall in love with Dad. But, she got pregnant either way. With me.”

 

“Oh, so you don't have the same mom as Luhan?”

 

Sehun shook his head. “Luhan doesn't have one. I was born without one.”

 

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asked. His voice was soft, almost hesitant when he asked.

 

“Giving birth is hard and she was weak, plus it was a half cupid. Dad never got around to telling her he wasn't human. Dad was heartbroken. One million romances failed by a single cupid or a heartbroken cupid will create an anti-cupid. He created Jongin just hours before I was born. Jongin's been in love with Luhan almost since then.”

 

“Then Luhan hates him because he's an anti-cupid?” Chanyeol guessed.

 

Sehun shook his head. “There's no reason to hate anti-cupids. Luhan treated Jongin almost the same as he treated me until Dad disappeared.”

 

“Your dad died?”

 

Sehun shrugged and stood. “Maybe. He just disappeared one day.”

 

“I”m...sorry.”

 

Sehun stretched again. His eyes felt heavy. He headed to the door of Chanyeol's apartment. “Don't be, it doesn't really matter, I have Luhan and my guardians.” He turned the knob, but turned back to Chanyeol. The other man was still curled up now looking less like an overgrown puppy and more...just small. “I should go and comfort my stupid brother. I'll have you another date by Friday.”

 

Chanyeol looked up, large eyes wider. “Oh...thanks Sehun.”

 

Sehun didn't say anything, just walked out the door and headed for the elevator.

 

There was a ding just as Sehun made it to the metal doors. They opened to reveal Byun Baekhyun in tight leather pants and a dress shirt that was rumpled and buttoned wrongly in many places beneath a heavy jacket. The smell of alcohol and glitter wafted to him from the metal box. Byun Baekhyun was laughing about something on his phone until he saw Sehun and his eyes widened.

 

“Oh, you stayed over?” he asked.

 

“And you just got back,” Sehun said back carefully entering the elevator and waited for Byun Baekhyun to exit. He didn't.

 

The elevator door closed and Sehun tried not the breath in too much. Byun Baekhyun had his hands on his hips and was looking Sehun up and down. “I didn't think you'd hook yourself up with Chanyeol.”

 

Sehun's eyes widened and he was surprised when he spluttered a bit. “M-me! Don't make me laugh. Park Chanyeol wants a serious relationship, not a couple months of fooling around. I'm not the marrying fantasy romance type.”

 

Byun Baekhyun laughed and typed something on his phone again. “That's what I thought, too, but when you get to know Chanyeol you can't help but fall in love with him.”

 

Sehun's mind was still tired so it didn't filter into his brain right away, but when it did, he had to force himself from punching a wall in frustration and excitement. “You're in love with Chanyeol.”

 

Byun Baekhyun looked up surprised then gave Sehun a shy look. “I guessed I spilled the beans, I tend to do that when I'm a bit drunk. How did his date tonight go, though, if it wasn't with you?”

 

Sehun bit his lip trying not to smile. “Oh, it was a fake date. A friend of my family has been messing up the dates because he's in love with my brother, so we just helped them out.”

 

“Oh, so I guess you'll have to go on a search again.”

 

The elevator dinged at the lobby. “Yeah, but I don't think it'll be difficult this time.”

 

**❤**

 

2\. Sehun woke up for the second time that day in Luhan's bed. He had gone over to Kyungsoo's and Suho's house early that morning waking up a disheveled and glaring Kyungsoo only to find that his brother had already passed out. The moment he had climbed into Luhan's bed anyways, Luhan had attempted to kick him off then clung to him like some kind of teddy bear. He was surprised to see no Luhan when he woke up.

 

There was the tinker of pots echoing from down the hall. Sehun had to try hard not to yell at whoever was making the noise to stop as he headed to the bathroom. The eight plus cups of coffee he had had with Chanyeol last night had finally settled in his bladder. After a quick wash, he realized he had missed the first half of his split shift at the bubble tea place and hoped Sulli would cover for him. He really didn't want to get fired for helping his brother get a blow job, not even sex, just a blow job.

 

In the kitchen, Kyungsoo was busy at the stove making a late lunch. All Sehun could smell was kimchi coming from the pots, but it was enough to make his stomach growl. Suho sat reading a newspaper from Cupid Headquarters, a place Sehun assumed he would never get to see as he had denounced any interest in becoming a full fledged cupid, and he was only half after all. He took a seat by the more experienced cupid and let his eyes doze closed.

 

“You missed work,” Suho whispered to him and Sehun nodded. Suho flipped a page in his pink tinted newspaper. “I didn't tell Kyungsoo, so that's one less thing he'll yell at you about.”

 

Sehun shivered. 'One less thing'. That meant there were other things, enough that he'd be getting it from his somewhat mother figure.

 

“What are you two gossiping about at the table?” Kyungsoo asked turning around.

 

“Nothing, yeobo,” Suho said with an angelic smile that always made Sehun think he should be saving souls not romances.

 

Kyungsoo eyed them both, but turned back to the stove, slipping on oven mitts, and pulled out a tray of toasted garlic bread.

 

Sehuns's stomach gurgled in happiness. “Kimchi spaghetti?”

 

“Kimchi spaghetti,” Kyungsoo affirmed and turned back around to get the pot and side dishes, spreading them around the table neatly. He grabbed a couple of plates down from a cupboard, reaching high on his tip toes. Sehun waited for Suho to get up and help and it was too late to realize he was taller than Suho and helping Kyungsoo might have made whatever talk easier. Kyungsoo glared at him for a second and held the plates to his chest.

 

“You want to eat, correct?” Kyungsoo asked.

 

Sehun nodded. Saliva was making it hard to talk. Had he even eaten last night? No, just coffee.

 

Kyungsoo smiled. He looked squishy when he smiled, but Sehun knew the cupid was like a puffer fish. If you squished him too much, he'd puff up and spike you in the face.. “Then please inform me why Luhan was a stuttering mess this morning and why exactly you decided to come over at five in the morning.”

 

Sehun sighed. “Well, they both have to do with each other.”

 

“Good,” Kyungsoo said, “shorter conversation.”

 

Sehun stared at the plates in Kyungsoo's hands then at the pot of steaming spaghetti in the middle of the table. Suho had already stuffed his chopsticks into it, slurping up noodled even without a plate. Kyungsoo was probably ignoring the action either because he was horribly mad at Sehun or Suho had given him really good dick last night.

 

“Well...you know that guy I'm trying to get a Valentine's date for, right?”

 

Kyungsoo nodded and sat, sticking his own chopsticks into the spaghetti still holding the plates hostage. Sehun wanted to just copy them, but he'd just get his chopsticks smacked away. Suho's sticks entangled with Kyungsoo's and they both giggled. They were disgusting.

 

“Well...whenever I bring Luhan along, because he likes things like that, Jongin messes up the dates, so we had a little plan last night.”

 

Kyungsoo went back to glaring at Sehun. “Did you play a trick on that poor anti-cupid. He gets enough grief from Luhan.”

 

“No, more like we played a trick on Luhan. I set up Jongin with the guy to see if Luhan would get jealous.”

 

Both cupids removed their chopsticks from the spaghetti and looked at Sehun curiously.

 

“And, how did it go?” Kyungsoo asked.

 

Sehun wondered how to phrase it. Instead, he just pulled out his phone and waved Luhan's text message at Kyungsoo. “Jongin seems to have managed to seduce Luhan properly.”

 

Kyungsoo went red reading it. Suho laughed seeing the message and passed the phone back to Sehun.

 

“What does that have to do with you visiting so early?”

 

“Luhan didn't send it until four am. I was with that guy trying to wait up for it. I thought he might need some moral support after his first sexual experience in order to fall asleep, but...was he really flustered?”

 

Suho nodded. “Definitely looked lovestruck now that I know what happened last night.”

 

“So...” Sehun started, “...do I get food now?”

 

Kyungsoo handed Sehun a plate with a roll of his eyes. “At least now you can go date hunting without Jongin's interruptions. He's cute, but he's a prankster sometimes. Probably got that from you.”

 

Sehun frowned and quickly piled his plate high with Kyungsoo's food. He stopped mid-bite though. “Well, actually, what do you guys think about hooking up two friends?”

 

“Why? Who did you have in mind?” Suho asked and stuffed a big forkful in his mouth.

 

“Well, I ran into Chanyeol's roommate last night coming back here. He was a bit drunk and ended up spilling that he was interested in Chanyeol. They're roommates and they've known each other since college. Chanyeol seems fine with being around him and his roommate seems to find him cute or something. Maybe he's the type to like big puppies.”

 

Kyungsoo shrugged. “Sometimes that works, sometimes it's better if you never even tried.”

 

“But friends make good lovers, you already know how to be silly with each other,” Suho added and Sehun swore they were playing footsie under the table, though Kyungsoo was probably joining reluctantly.

 

“Excuse me for a minute,” Sehun said and stood. He went into the hallway and quickly looked up Byun Baekhyun's number.

 

“Hello, who is this?” a voice asked from the other line, almost inaudible with the loud shouting in the background.

 

“This is Oh Sehun. We need to talk about your coming date with Park Chanyeol.”

 

**❤**

 

3\. Sehun promised Sulli a rose flower crown for covering up for him earlier. Now he was comfortably stuck with Amber, the tomboy cheerfully taking orders and randomly dancing up front while Sehun mixed the drinks. Usually Sehun didn't like split shifts because they meant he had to come to work twice and he hated it even more if it was on an off day. At least during college, he could come in between classes and then it was just like freshmen year all over again, classes bunched up back to back. But, he also got off work sooner, and breaks were more frequent.

 

“So, you really do work at a bubble tea shop.”

 

Sehun jumped hearing the voice near the bar that entered the little work place. He turned to see Byun Baekhyun, sunglasses covering his face as if he was some celebrity which he might be, Sehun didn't really know much about the fandom of models. He looked like a model, though, all the way from his lightened brown hair, scarf covered neck, and tight dark wash jeans, fingers covered in more rings than Sehun thought you could fit on such slim fingers. Sehun looked up at the clock behind the shaking machine and sighed.

 

“Find you a seat, I still have five minutes.”

 

Byun Baekhyun chuckled. “What, I can't stand here and pester you?”

 

“You wouldn't get much pestering done, I'll just ignore you.”

 

He clicked his tongue, but pulled away from the counter. “How can you treat your clients like this?”

 

Sehun could feel Amber giving him a weird look probably having overheard their conversation. He didn't care if his co-workers knew he was bisexual or whatever it was he was, but he didn't want them thinking he was a prostitute...or hiring a prostitute. Sehun pulled off his pink apron and ruffled his pink hair after seven minutes, having taken the extra couple to get a drink for himself and Byun Baekhyun.

 

“I'm taking a break,” he announced.

 

Amber tilted her head. “Who's the guy? Your boyfriend?”

 

“No, the roommate of a friend that needs to get laid.” He waved Amber off with one of the drinks in his hand and started out from behind the counter.

 

Byun Baekhyun had seated himself in a corner of the bubble tea shop going at it on his phone just as he had last night. Now that Sehun thought about it, the sunglasses might actually be because of a hangover. He plopped a green tea bubble tea in front of Byun Baekhyun and took a seat across from him immediately drinking his favorite chocolate.

 

The hand model lifted his drink and raised a brow at Sehun. “Green tea?”

 

“I didn't know what you liked so I just got you something basic. I was the one that called you out, I know manners,” Sehun said.

 

Byun Baekhyun shrugged and took a sip. He seemed pleased and shifted in his chair into a more relaxing position. “So, what's this about a date with Chanyeol?”

 

“Well,” Sehun started, “you said you were in love with him.”

 

Chanyeol's roommate groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “So that conversation really happened? You know I was plastered, right?”

 

“People are more truthful when they're drunk. Tell me why you love Chanyeol.”

 

“It's not that I'm in love with him,” Baekhyun said, “I just wouldn't mind dating him.”

 

“So he's your type?” Sehun questioned.

 

Byun Baekhyun laughed. “Anyone carring, handsome, and silly is my type, Oh Sehun. If you didn't have this aura of brattiness about you, I would have tried getting into your pants, too. And I'm not a slut or anything. The amount of people I've made out with is far more than those I've actually slept with. But, that's not what this is about. I have always liked Chanyeol well enough as a person. When we first met, I knew he was gay, but I didn't want to jump his bones or anything. It wasn't until we moved in together. For a while we were a mess trying to take care of each other. Eventually we just hired a cleaner and I got a manager. He's like one of those puppies you have to live with, and you don't really mind, but because you spend so much time together, they become special to you. Chanyeol's special to me and I want him to be happy, I can also get a boner from him, so yeah, I'd date my roommate.”

 

Of course Chanyeol was like a puppy, that was probably the only reason Sehun put up with him. “So you just...want to date him?”

 

“See, that's why I was hoping last night hadn't actually happened. I never attempted to do anything with Chanyeol no matter how much he whined about not being able to get a girl because I knew he was serious about relationships and I just want to play around a little longer. But, if you're asking if I would be willing to end that early for Chanyeol, then yes. Wouldn't you do anything for the person you had a crush on?”

 

“I don't know,” Sehun said, “I've never had a crush before.”

 

Byun Baekhyun suddenly seemed interested, leaning forward in his chair. “So you're a virgin then?”

 

“No, we've covered that I'm definitely not.”

 

Byun Baekhyun waved his drink at Sehun. “But your heart is. You've never been in love.”

 

No, Sehun had never been in love. He couldn't fathom such an idea. He use to think a cupid's job was stupid, thought it was all fake, but maybe that was because he had never felt that sort of affection for another person. Did the slight bit of affection he had for his freshman teacher count? Of course he met people that just made his pants twitch all the time, but his heart always stayed frozen just like the snow that covered the sidewalks outside. His heart was forever covered in winter.

 

Sehun was never one to prefer summer anyways.

 

Sehun watched Byun Baekhyun slurp on his bubble tea before taking out his phone and went to his calendar. “So, when should we schedule your date? I thought Friday would be best.”

 

“I haven't agreed yet,” Byun Baekhyun said. “I have to think on how I'm going to face Chanyeol when he knows. We do live together after all.”

 

“Well, we can make it a blind date then you have plenty of time to decide how to go along with things afterward if things go well.”

 

“And if things go bad?” Byun Baekhyun asked.

 

Sehun looked up. There was a worried frown on his lips.

 

“If you guys are really such good friends, I'm sure Chanyeol will appreciate that you tried.”

 

Byun Baekhyun smiled and took out his own phone. “Friday's no good. I'm busy for the next week. How about the fourteenth?”

 

Sehun's eyes widened. “That's Valentine's.”

 

“Well then I guess I'm your last chance. Do or die, right?”

 

Sehun laughed. He really hoped this worked.


	12. “I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.” – Unknown

**12.**

**“I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.” – Unknown**

 

1\. The snow was bright with the dazzling sun shining down on it, slowly melting the piles brushed off to the side flake by flake. It was blindingly beautiful and Sehun laughed when little children jumped in the piles only to come back out with soaked butts or dog shit staining their hands and clothes like the curse of a hidden treasure unburied when making snow angels against their mothers' yelling for them not to. Sehun wanted to push Chanyeol into the snow piles, too, so he'd have a reason to look behind him.

 

“Why are you so antsy?” Sehun asked.

 

“It's just weird going on a date during the day when I'm supposed to be working.”

 

“You brought your camera with you, didn't you? And who doesn't take Valentine's Day off when asking for a Valentine's date for a month already?”

 

“I'm sorry, I forgot. I've never skipped work before,” Chanyeol said.

 

“Well, once won't hurt you.” Sehun had skipped work and school multiple times for Chanyeol's dates, but there wasn't any school until March now (Sehun's last year hopefully) and Sulli promised to cover for him. She did that a lot. Sehun was starting to wonder if she was just that sweet or if she had a crush on him.

 

“Why are we even having a date during the day and how come I didn't have one last week?” Chanyeol asked

 

“Because the person didn't have any time last week and he has an event later that he may or may not invite you to,” Sehun answered.

 

“But, this is the last time, right? If this doesn't go well, that's it,” Chanyeol said. “What if he doesn't call me for a second date?”

 

Well if that happened then Chanyeol could just literally walk a few yards and beat his date until he answered why. “I'm pretty sure he'll ask you and this date won't go wrong. Jongin got his blow job and Luhan's busy today with work.”

 

“But, who is it~~~?” Chanyeol whined.

 

Sehun rolled his head and grabbed Chanyeol's wrist to pull him along. “Someone I like much better than Wu Yifan.”

 

Byun Baekhyun was scheduled to meet them at a bar. Sehun thought it was a bit weird to drink so early, it was just after lunch, but maybe to people with jobs like Byun Baekhyun and Chanyeol, early was a relative thing. You worked when there was work to be done and you played when you had time to play. And maybe Byun Baekhyun knew something about the way alcohol affected Chanyeol, maybe calming him, since he had known the other man longer. He just hoped Byun Baekhyun wasn't planning on getting Chanyeol drunk so he'd be easier to get into bed, something Sehun wouldn't have cared about three dates back.

 

“Oh, I can smell chicken,” Chanyeol said when they finally reached the bar. He sniffed around and let a happy sigh escape him.

 

Sehun laughed at him and kept his hold on the other man's wrist so he wouldn't run off to find that chicken which Sehun admitted did smell quite good. He looked around the dimly lit bar to see if he could spot the glasses wearing tight pants Byun Baekhyun. Towards the back, but close to the bar is where he had said he would be on the phone yesterday, but he couldn't spot him anywhere.

 

“So, where is he?” Chanyeol asked.

 

Sehun made a face and crossed his arm, starting to tap his foot. “I'm guessing he's the type to be late even if we're late, too.”

 

Chanyeol pulled out his phone to check the time then turned to Sehun with large eyes, hands going to grip Sehun's arm. “You don't think he left already, do you, because we were late?”

 

“I'm really hoping not, that'd be awkward,” Sehun said. It wasn't like Byun Baekhyun couldn't have called them.

 

“Oh my gosh you guys are here already? I should have explained to you what celebrity time was so you wouldn't have had to wait for me. I thought about it and ran straight here.”

 

Sehun didn't pay much to what Byun Baekhyun was saying. His heart felt like it was being squeezed by Chanyeol's hands squeezing his arm, eyes even wider and face set in an unreadable expression.

 

“Baek...hyun?” Chanyeol finally said.

 

Byun Baekhyun moved closer to them and removed the sunglasses Sehun had guessed he'd be wearing. He grinned at Chanyeol an apologetic, but sweet grin.

 

“Hey there Chanyeol, did you wait long?”

 

Chanyeol blinked at his roommate for a while before turning to Sehun obviously confused. Sehun rolled his eyes and pulled his arm away from Chanyeol's hold. “Your date has arrived.”

 

“My date? Baekhyun's my date.”

 

Byun Baekhyun moved next to Chanyeol and grabbed his wrist. “Come sit with me, Chanyeol and we can talk about it.”

 

Chanyeol glanced at Sehun before going along with Baekhyun.

 

Originally Sehun had thought to stick around only for the first five minutes then go, but...Sehun had to admit he was worried suddenly. He had thought Chanyeol would be happy. Maybe, he had thought, Chanyeol had a crush on Baekhyun as well, but there were no pictures in Chanyeol's box to prove that. Then again, if Chanyeol knew Baekhyun knew about the box he might not have bothered with pictures. Sehun moved to a table close to the two roommates and made a gesture that he was going to stay and eat. Byun Baekhyun nodded at him then went back to explaining to Chanyeol why he was on a date with his roommate.

 

“You see, Chanyeol, Sehun thought it might be good to hook you up with someone you knew. I'm not dating anyone, you know that, and since you've decided to embrace your homosexuality, I'm not a bad choice, right?”

 

Sehun could see Chanyeol cocking his head this way and that. A platter of chicken came to Sehun's table and he started to eat. They tasted as good as they smelled.

 

“But, why did you agree, Baekhyun? You never seemed interested in me before.”

 

“Well, that's because you weren't admitting to being gay, so I didn't want to pressure you by saying I was interested even though I tease you about it all the time.”

 

“So, you are interested?” Chanyeol asked. His voice sounded a bit happier.

 

“Well, I might have admitted to liking you while drunk when I ran into Sehun the other day and that's how he got the idea.”

 

“You like me?”

 

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said and he was smiling. “I wouldn't mind being your boyfriend, Park Chanyeol.”

 

“Alright, then let's try dating, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol agreed and his voice was so bright.

 

Sehun felt his stomach suddenly tightened. Why did delicious food have to disagree with you?

 

**❤**

 

2\. Sehun ended up loitering about much longer than he had planned, slowly nibbling his chicken in hopes it would settle in his stomach (it never did though it stayed delicious). He even offered Chanyeol the rest of it when his stomach started to gurgle. Byun Baekhyun managed to give him an annoyed smirk when he insisted and Sehun backed off watching them share a bottle of soju, Sehun ordering a beer to nurse on.

 

After two hours of animated talking (about the horrible designs that Byun Baekhyun was being forced to display on his million won hands and how he was beginning to worry about his hands chapping with all the hands he had been shaking recently and Chanyeol...Chanyeol just listened and told his roommate turned date what he wanted to hear, boisterous laughter echoing through the bar because Byun Baekhyun was actually a pretty funny guy) they left. Sehun tripped after them, not use to drinking often even at clubs looking for a quick relationship. He had to shake his head a few times to clear it once outside. The cold air helped, the sun having disappeared in the two hours they'd spent in the bar giving up on it's torturous melting of the snow for now. Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun were already far ahead of him when Sehun finally got his legs to walk straight.

 

At some point, Chanyeol had stopped to gather a handful of snow from the piles swept up on the sidewalk. He threw it at Byun Baekhyun landing in his hair and sprinkled across his sunglasses. Sehun froze wondering what the hand model's reaction would be like. Byun Baekhyun just froze as well and looked pissed off at a sheepish Chanyeol (it lasted for a few seconds and Sehun had the urge to move forward and pull Chanyeol away, maybe scold him for throwing snowballs), but Byun Baekhyun suddenly grabbed a handful of his own snow and threw it, pegging Chanyeol square in the face. That started a snowball fight down the sidewalk with old ladies yelling at them, shopkeepers throwing other things at them (most hitting Sehun who ran after them on the brink of breaking a rib in an effort to keep up with them). They stopped at a crosswalk when Chanyeol reached out and grabbed Baekhyun around the waist in a playful way, but also to keep him from going over the sidewalk and potentially into the horrible Korean traffic.

 

Sehun stayed behind a group of teenaged girls with their uniform skirts hiked up threatening on being really useless panties, the same girls that yelled out, “Isn't that Byun Baekhyun the hand model? Oh, I want to get tips from him.”

 

Sehun was about to reach out and say something, anything, to make the girls think otherwise, but said hand model just laughed and hurried across the street with Chanyeol's hand in his. More running. Sehun groaned as he pushed past the girls and after the date goers.

 

“Run, Oppa, run! A paparazzi is after you,” the girls continued to yell.

 

Sehun rolled his eyes. He wasn't paparazzi, Chanyeol was.

 

They disappeared into a shop for a while and Sehun unthinkably ended up with a deer plushie and the newest best seller in a plastic bag. (When he did think about it, he should have grabbed something for Kyungsoo, too. Hadn't he missed the cupid's birthday? Make that two presents, after though. Right now he was in a hurry since Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun had managed to slip out of the shop.)

 

Sehun wondered when was the last time he'd ran this much.

 

Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun stopped for hotteok and a cup of hot coffee on the street. Sehun watched them from behind a pole holding his stomach as they giggled to each other. A loud laugh reached his ears and Sehun watched as Chanyeol started jumping around, face contorted in a serial killer way that would have made Sehun laugh if only all the movement hadn't made the cup of coffee Chanyeol was holding splash onto Byun Baekhyun. Sehun was frozen again. Byun Baekhyun gasped and looked down at himself then started shaking himself off.

 

“Sorry, sorry,” Chanyeol said urgently, grabbing napkins and reaching out for his roommate.

 

Sehun wondered if this would be the end of the date. How long had it been? Three hours? Wu Yifan's date had lasted longer than this.

 

Byun Baekhyun just sighed and slapped the back of Chanyeol's head, hard. Chanyeol moved back and winced, rubbing his head. The hand model took a napkin and started cleaning himself off.

 

“You're always spilling stuff,” he said. “You can't go anywhere without spilling something, can you?”

 

“Sorry,” Chanyeol said again and carefully reached out with his remaining napkins to wipe the other off, slowly, softly.

 

The hand model nudged him away. “Don't worry about my clothes, we'll just go shopping on the second date.”

 

Sehun and Chanyeol ears both perked up at that.

 

“Second date?”

 

Byun Baekhyun shrugged and started looking around. “It's not like I didn't know you wouldn't spill something on me and it's not the first time. Geez, you worry too much. There's a bathroom, I'll be right back.”

 

Chanyeol nodded and nibbled on his food waiting for Byun Baekhyun to come back. Sehun moved out of his hiding spot and poked Chanyeol's shoulder.

 

“Oh, Sehun, you're still here?”

 

Sehun frowned at that. Had Chanyeol expected him not to be? “I was just nervous about your date. Seems you're having fun.”

 

Chanyeol nodded, a big smile on his face. “Of course I would have fun with Baekhyun, we're friends after all.”

 

“You're also on a date,” Sehun pointed out. That made Chanyeol suddenly scrunch up his face.

 

“Oh, right...it just felt so normal I keep forgetting. You know, I never thought Baekhyun was ugly or anything.”

 

Sehun nodded. Was this Chanyeol saying that maybe he had liked Byun Baekhyun, too?

 

Chanyeol laughed. “He puts up with me and isn't afraid to be seen with me in public, that's good, right?”

 

Sehun was still frowning. “I guess.”

 

“Since it's Valentine's Day maybe I'll buy him chocolate. We’ll have to do something coupley for White Day,” Chanyeol began to ramble.

 

“You think you guys will be together for White Day, too?” Sehun asked.

 

“Sure, why not? We already know each other pretty well. I think the hardest part would be finally kissing him.”

 

Kissing Byun Baekhyun. A shiver ran up Sehun's back. He could see the hand model come out of the bathroom and turned to the hotteok stand that was also serving coffee. The gurgling in his stomach was getting worse. Maybe something liquid and warm would settle it.

 

By the time Sehun got his coffee and turned around, Byun Baekhyun and Chanyeol were no longer in sight. Sehun plastered himself to his stalking pole and softly blew on his coffee. So did this make getting Chanyeol a Valentine's a success? And this meant Luhan wouldn't bother Sehun about sleeping around for a year.

 

He slurped his coffee. It scalded his tongue.

 

The upsetting chicken was probably the reason he couldn't be happy about it.

 

**❤**

 

3\. Sehun made his way to work the next morning with the acidic taste of regurgitated chicken coating his teeth and the slight sting of a tipsy hangover nagging at the back of his mind. The coffee had helped a little, but Luhan's fingers stroking through his hair worked better. He had opted for Kyungsoo's and Suho's place instead of going back to the apartment. He actually couldn't remember the last time he had properly gone home even though he did remember paying the rent. When he did go back, Hyuna would probably yell at him and then they'd have to have sex. The thought brought the wrenching feeling from last night back to Sehun's stomach. He might not be able to do it this time even if he replaced Hyuna's face with his freshman teacher's.

 

It had been another hour before Sehun had left the sting of outside for the warmth of Kyungsoo's kitchen. He was slumped over with a gnawing pain in his stomach, sweating and his chest hurting. Kyungsoo had said he had indigestion, not bad chicken. Suho and he had eaten at the same bar just last night. Maybe that was it, but Sehun didn't usually get sick from over stuffing himself unless what he over stuffed himself with had gone bad. After drinking that horrible tea Kyungsoo always made him drink, he headed for Luhan's bed. The cupid was texting on his phone, smiling to himself, but immediately left it alone when he saw Sehun, reaching out and pulling his little brother against his chest. Sehun gladly snuggled there feeling like the five year old who felt his brother's comforting arms more than his always busy father's.

 

A quick wash down in the shower and perhaps Sehun had forgotten to brush his teeth in a hurry to get a few spoonfuls of breakfast kimchi stew Kyungsoo had set up for thirty minutes already and Sehun was out the door ready for work. He wondered if Sulli had managed to cover up for his earlier shift. He had called Krystal to tell her he was sick on the second half of his split shift. She hadn't been happy about it. Lovers loved the bubble tea shop on Valentine's Day.

 

Sehun ruffled his pink hair as he entered. He knew he should have brought a beanie with him to cover up the color. Last year he had gotten too many comments to tolerate about why his hair was still pink if Valentine's was yesterday. His hair was always pink since he finished high school. Some of the customers knew that. An apron was thrown at his face the moment he got close enough to the counter. Krystal. He hadn't been sure who he was working with today. Luna was there too, untying her apron, probably having just gotten off her own split shift. And the manager was there.

 

The manager of the bubble tea shop Sehun worked at was Chinese. She was a beautiful ex-acrobat and dancer who decided, next to owning a sheep farm, a bubble tea shop would be the next to best thing to get her a good strong husband. Sehun liked Manager Victoria well enough, but he was also half scared by her whenever she was actually in the shop.

 

“Sehun, you're late,” she said.

 

Sehun went to the back for a quick drink calling behind him, “Sorry, I ate something bad yesterday between my shifts. The medicine made me sleep late.”

 

“That's an acceptable excuse, but don't go slacking off today,” she said going to the office which Sehun had never actually been in. Only Amber had being the one who worked here longest.

 

He was put in charge of the mixing machine as usual. The hum of the machine mixing all those ingredients into a delicious mixture lulled Sehun's mind into a peaceful post hangover state. He recalled the conversation he had had with his cupid family when he was feeling a little better, Kyungsoo and Suho coming into Luhan's bedroom around midnight after Sehun had gotten up to throw up and pee.

 

“How did the date go?” they asked.

 

“They had fun,” Sehun answered.

 

“No mess ups? Jongin wasn't there,” Luhan said.

 

“Oh, he messed up a lot, but it was his roommate, I think he was use to that kind of thing already.”

 

“Then they'll be on a second date?”

 

Sehun had frowned. His stomach was doing that gurgling thing again, but he didn't feel like throwing up. “Probably.”

 

Sehun's stomach started doing that gurgling thing again and he shook his head of the memories concentrating on not letting the machine stir for longer than it was supposed to.

 

“Hey, Sehun, there's a person of interest calling for you,” Manager Victoria called.

 

Sehun raised an eyebrow at her. The manager had a hard time hiding when a celebrity had walked into the bubble tea shop. The only celebrities Sehun knew were Wu Yifan and...Byun Baekhyun. He looked around the shop and saw the hand model curled up in a booth way in a corner.

 

“I'm inclined to let you meet them,” the manager continued and waved a order over the counter to him.

 

Sehun nodded and stood beside Luna to get the ingredients.

 

“Oh, I haven't asked you, but how had getting a date for that friend of yours gone? I'm sorry we couldn't work out,” Luna said.

 

“He had a date last night. I think it'll last for a while if it's not the one,” Sehun said and finished putting the ingredients together then went to the mixer. At least he hoped so. Byun Baekhyun might be here to apologize for not being able to stay with Chanyeol. Perhaps it had been too awkward when they had gotten home. He headed to the table with the drink and sat across from Byun Baekhyun.

 

“I'm guessing this is a report?” Sehun said.

 

Byun Baekhyun laughed and took the drink. “No, it's a thank you. We had fun, but Chanyeol and I always have fun with we hang out so that's no surprise though it was a little cute that he was actually trying to act like a boyfriend. It's annoying to watch, but when you're on the receiving end it actually feels nice to have that big puppy's attention.”

 

“So it went well?” Sehun asked.

 

“Yes,” Byun Baekhyun said. He stirred the straw around in his drink, a blush covering the space of his cheeks not covered by the sunglasses. “He kissed me good night. It was a quick peck and I wasn't sure how intimacy between us would go, but I definitely felt something. I might have to take this slower than I usually do. My first sexual encounter was a one night thing that happened more than one night, but everything after that, though good, all happened too fast. Chanyeol's a slow worker. He's only had one sexual lover and that was a girl, but I can wait. He's the type of guy you don't fall for until you've spent a lot of time with, you start seeing his charms like his dorky laugh and great reactions, right?”

 

Sehun nodded. He had noticed those things and how when serious Park Chanyeol could be very handsome and that he had a body he didn't show off often, but also Chanyeol could be very cute and feminine like with Wu Yifan. He had seen many sides of Chanyeol.

 

“So, thank you, Oh Sehun, thank you for giving me the courage to try.” Byun Baekhyun smiled at him and stood, walking out of the shop.

 

Sehun watched him leave, every step tightening his chest as if his heart had a corset and it's laces were hooked to Baekhyun's feet. His stomach was gurgling too.

 

Park Chanyeol, the guy who's crotch he had fallen asleep on after a liter of coffee trying to stay up to know if they'd succeeded in getting a cupid laid, the guy that fed him pizza and burned dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets until he got sick, the guy that had stalked Sehun to his college who believed in pink haired fairies and love would happily live out his days with a hand model.

 

Park Chanyeol. The guy Sehun may or may not have just fallen in love with.


	13. “There is no remedy for love but to love more.” –Thoreau

**13.**

_**“There is no remedy for love but to love more.” –Thoreau** _

 

1\. Sehun came back from work with a headache feeling as if he was going to throw up again. His apartment was actually closer than his childhood home and all he had wanted was a bed, but by the time he had realized that, he was already going in the direction toward the large house. As always, the door was unlocked even though all the cupids were out currently working. Sehun managed to crash onto the twin sized bed on his side of the room he had grown up sharing with Luhan (Luhan's bed was a double, he couldn't remember the other ever having a small bed) before realizing he wasn't home alone. Reading on Luhan's bed with legs crossed and Luhan's glasses perched on his nose was Kim Jongin. Sehun groaned and pushed his face into his pillow, kicking his legs up and down in frustration.

 

Jongin turned away from his book and raised a brow at Sehun. “What in the world are you doing?”

 

“I could ask you the same thing,” Sehun muttered into the pillow.

 

Jongin grinned. “Reading your brother's diary.”

 

“Oh,” Sehun said and turned his head a bit so he could look at Jongin, semi-properly. One of his eyes' vision was blurred being squished against the pillow. “Anything interesting?”

 

“Other than Luhan liking to curse at me a lot, not really, not that you sound like you're really all that interested. Is something wrong? I heard you were sick last night.”

 

Sehun reached a hand behind him and rubbed his back. “Indigestion and now I have a headache.”

 

“What did you eat today? Indigestion shouldn't last that long,” Jongin said.

 

Sehun wasn't really sure how Jongin would know, full blooded cupids and anti-cupids didn't get sick like that. “Nothing, just a few spoons of kimchi stew this morning and a bubble tea.

 

“Well, what about the headache? I can tell you have one. Luhan was texting me about you, congratulations on finally getting that Chanyeol guy his Valentine's.”

 

Sehun waved him off. “Thanks.”

 

“This means you can go around sleeping with whoever you want for a year. Maybe you should make this a yearly thing, finding people's Valentine's and such.”

 

“Maybe.”

 

“Luhan was also complaining about how you keep coming over here? You should just cancel your contract at the apartment.”

 

“Hyuna would kill me,” Sehun said.

 

“Don't you guys usually just have sex to fix anything like that?”

 

Sehun shook his head. “No, I wouldn't be able to get it up.”

 

“Because of the headache?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then tell me why you have a headache,” Jongin repeated. “It can't possibly be from working too much, you love making bubble tea.”

 

Sehun frowned. “You sound awful caring today, why are you even here?”

 

“Waiting for Luhan, we have a date. Also, you're my friend and my boyfriend's brother, and in some weird messed up way, my brother, so of course I care, Sehun. Anti-cupids can tell when someone's not happy, too. And since you're never very happy, it's even more obvious when something has gone terribly wrong.”

 

Sehun sighed and turned so he was laying on his back staring up at the ceiling. There was a spider crawling across it. Kyungsoo was probably due for a thorough cleaning of the house soon. “Thinking too much.”

 

“Okay, thinking too much about what? I would have thought you'd be out on a sex spree of happiness right now now that Luhan can't berate you for a year.”

 

“I don't have sex that often,” Sehun said and moved his hand to his stomach. It was doing weird flipping things again.

 

“You do when you're happy. Hey, are you going to throw up? Do I need to get a garbage can?” Jongin asked.

 

Sehun waved him off again. “Just let me ask you some questions, Jongin.”

 

“Sure, we probably need to have a talk. Have at it.”

 

Sehun licked his lips then sighed. He wasn't sure how to go about this. It was his first experience in such a thing and he still wasn't completely convinced. “How did you know you were in love with Luhan?”

 

“Oh, so we are going to talk about that,” Jongin said, his voice becoming nervous. Sehun was a little relieved to know Jongin thought he was going to give him an overprotective brother talk. He wouldn't get suspicious so easily of why Sehun was talking. “Well...I don't really know. There was just this pretty cupid I saw one day and started adoring and once I was old enough to know what love was, all that fluttering in your stomach the the urge to want to bother him, I realized I was in love with him.”

 

“So...you have to feel fluttery and annoying to know you're in love?” Sehun asked. He had never felt fluttery around Chanyeol and annoying was just part of his personality.

 

Jongin scrunched up his face. “No, I think that's more for little kids and people who don't have a lot of experience. I think for adults, it doesn't start out like that. I think it starts out as intrigue and then curiosity and finally a realization. And somewhere in that line, the urge to want to pull down their pants and suck them off.”

 

Intrigue...curiosity...realization...and Sehun knew very well that Chanyeol was attractive.

 

“So, when do you realize you're in love with someone?”

 

“Um...” Jongin started. Sehun could feel his eyes looking at him curiously. Was it obvious he wasn't playing the protective little brother card anymore? “Well, when it comes to cupids work, we see a lot of it. I've seen Luhan work when I didn't feel like bothering him. Just watching him work is pretty nice, too. He's very pretty and his stupid faces when he's trying to concentrate are the best.”

 

“Jongin,” Sehun warned.

 

“Sorry. Well, sometimes it just happens one day an 'I love them' pops up and sometimes they'll do something that makes you finally just fall in love with them, and sometimes you know you'll fall with them from the beginning and it's just an easy slide right into it. That's what I've seen.”

 

“What about jealousy?” Sehun asked. “Can you realize you've fallen for someone when they've become someone else's?”

 

“Sehun,” Jongin started and Sehun could tail he had caught on with the serious tone in his voice, “are you in love with someone?”

 

Sehun's fists clenched together over his stomach. His headache had gone away a bit now, but his stomach was still doing flips. “Chanyeol's roommate came to the shop today to thank me for setting them up, and when he left...well he had been gushing about Chanyeol saying things I already knew because I've been studying Chanyeol so I could pick the person for him and...what do you do when you've given the person you're in love with to someone else because you didn't know you were in love with them?”

 

“You're in love with Park Chanyeol?” Jongin asked.

 

“I...maybe...probably. He's fuckable and I kind of got use to being around him,” Sehun said. “But I don't think it could be something that suddenly happened.”

 

Jongin stood up and Sehun could feel him sit at the foot of his twin bed, a hand coming to press against Sehun's ankle in a comforting way. “How did you feel when you set Chanyeol up with those girls?”

 

“I thought he was straight so it didn't matter really...I didn't like when he yelled at me, though.”

 

“And when you set him up with guys?” Jongin continued.

 

“I didn't like Wu Yifan, he felt like he had ulterior motives,” Sehun said with a frown. “And you were a fake date so I didn't care.”

 

“And what about the date yesterday?”

 

Sehun closed his eyes and breathed in slowly. He hated it to be honest, hated it because it went so well. “Chanyeol messed up so much, but Baekhyun still liked him. I was on edge all night.”

 

“And now Chanyeol doesn't need you anymore,” Jongin confirmed.

 

Sehun's heart clenched. Chanyeol didn't need him anymore. They didn't have to ever see each other again. Sehun could go on and ignore his feelings for Park Chanyeol, but...

 

Sehun suddenly sat up, eyes wide and frightened, and grabbed Jongin's arm.

 

“What happens when a half-cupid's heart gets broken?”

 

**❤**

  
  


2\. Jongin hadn't be able to answer his question, but Sehun was trying to convince himself that nothing would happen because he was mostly mortal anyways. All he had to do was stay away from Park Chanyeol and his feeling would go away without risk of getting his heart broken. So that was his plan, but he still had the urge to know and so followed Luhan on his runs the next day never actually intending on asking, but words biting at his tongue.

 

“I heard you went on a date yesterday,” Sehun said after Luhan's third stop tired of the silence.”

 

“It wasn't really a date,” Luhan said blushing. “It's just lonely to eat ice cream alone and you were sick and Kyungsoo and Suho were out.”

 

“And after the ice cream you two went to a movie room and made out, Jongin already told me,” Sehun said.

 

“Don't believe everything Jongin says,” Luhan whined and swatted his Cupid Book at Sehun.

 

“So I shouldn't believe him when he said you confessed in the middle of a handjob?”

 

Luhan went red and kicked Sehun. “Don't tease me, I don't have anything to tease you back with until next year.”

 

Sehun sighed. There was something Luhan could use against him if only Sehun was brave enough to say it.

 

“Don't you have work today? Why are you following me on my rounds anyways. It's been a month since you've done that.”

 

A month ago Sehun had met Chanyeol. “I took a sick leave.”

 

Luhan looked concerned reaching out a hand for Sehun. “Why? What's wrong? I thought it was only indigestion.”

 

“I think I might have an ulcer,” Sehun said, one he had named Park Chanyeol who's idiot smile had eaten away at his protective tissues.

 

Luhan's lips pouted and he played with Sehun's fingers. “My poor brother.”

 

Sehun rolled his eyes and pulled his hand away. “Just hurry up. Jongin's taking you on another date later.”

 

“He is?” Luhan's eyes were glittering with excitement. It made Sehun sick and he gritted his teeth.

 

“Surprise,” he said blandly.

 

Luhan laughed and grabbed Sehun's hand again, pulling him along. The cupid was a happy mess and it confused Sehun how one blowjob could turn all Luhan's anger into love. Maybe it was the century plus of sexual frustration. He only stopped his happy charade when they got to a park where a familiar group of boys lounged around and off in the distance was the jogger now in a business suit. Sehun stood off to the side interested in how Luhan would repair what Jongin had screwed up over a month ago.

 

“This is the last chance they'll get to meet until that middle schooler is in his thirties and married and then he'll cheat on his wife with many men before finally settling with his sixteen year older boss who is only currently a manager,” Luhan explained, his eyes dark with the knowledge in his little pink book.

 

“You know, it's scary when you do that.”

 

Luhan scoffed and masked himself before approaching the middle schooler. The boy's friends were off to the side sharing their drink and trying to beat each other in hacky sack, but he was on a bench listening to an Ipod, the jogger's Ipod. The jogger frowned when he passed by them and Luhan, with his hand glittering pink, touched his shoulder. The boy stood and quickly approached the jogger.

 

“Hey, Mister, your Ipod.”

 

The man turned and snatched the device away. “Where did you get this?”

 

The boy shrunk back, hands going into the pocket of his hoodey. He frowned and bowed deeply. “One of my friends must have taken it, I apologize. I—I like Skrillex, too.”

 

“What?”

 

“I like Skrillex, too,” the boy repeated and added a smile this time. “I was curious so I listened to a bit of it.”

 

“Oh...well...it's good you have good taste in music at such a young age,” the man said.

 

The boy laughed. “Me? I think you're the one with good taste for being old...not that you're that old. “

 

“Well, if that's all then I'll be going,” the man said and turned to leave.

 

“Wait...” the boy yelled. “I...I want to pay you back for what my friend did.”

 

The man laughed and pulled out his phone. “Give me yours, I'll call you if I need anything?”

 

Sehun chuckled. Was it really that easy?

 

“Mission accomplished,” Luhan said dusting his hands off and grinning.

 

“You're really good at this, Luhan. If only you could do something for me,” he said and sighed.

 

Luhan raised a brow. “What do you mean? Oh...OH! Is my Sehunnie in love? Please tell me it's not that Hyuna.”

 

“No, definitely not here and...maybe...it's...Ch-”

 

“Oh, hold that thought, my next target just showed up,” Luhan said and pulled out his book reading through the information it offered him. “Kim Jongdae. He's a college graduate in music at the same college as you. Hmm, is planned to meet his true love at eight o'clock tonight in front of a cafe and have coffee with him. True love: a Byun Baekhyun. That name sounds awfully familiar. Oh well, he seems to be on his way there already.”

 

Byun Baekhyun. Sehun reached out and snatched Luhan's book, but he couldn't read it. “Are you sure it says Byun Baekhyun?”

 

“Yes,' Luhan said reaching around his younger brother for the book.

 

“Hand model Byun Baekhyun?”

 

“I think so.”

 

“Park Chanyeol's roommate Byun Baekhyun? The person I just happily hooked him up with!”

 

Luhan's eyes widened and he covered his mouth with his hands. “I didn't know I swear.”

 

Sehun pushed the book into his brother's chest. “Stop him! You're going to ruin everything if you don't stop him.”

 

“I can't do that, I can't ruin someone's chance to meet their true love.”

 

“But, hyung~~~~,” Sehun whined. He worked so hard...and he fell in love. It couldn't be like this.

 

“I really can't do anything about it. He's already far ahead of us,” Luhan said.

 

Sehun growled in frustration then turned and ran after the one called Kim Jongdae.

 

**❤**

 

3\. Kim Jongdae was short. Sehun decided this as he followed the man out of the park and onto the main sidewalks of Seoul. Not as short as Kyungsoo and Suho, but short and Sehun decided he did not like him. He always had this grin on his face that was both charming and mischievous and his ears were like a monkey's (but so where Chanyeol's and that was why they bothered him). There was a weird man purse around his waist that he kept messing with finding other places to put it like his leg or around his chest eventually just going back to his hip and his jacket was kind of dorky. When he went up to a poster and couldn't read it, he pulled out Harry Potter glasses that Sehun thought would look better if he left them on his face. At least his hair was pretty decent. Lightened and a little bit like the Beatles.

 

It was annoying. Hadn't he told Luhan what Chanyeol's roommate's name was? Maybe not, maybe he never uttered the name Byun Baekhyun because he wasn't friends with Byun Baekhyun and he didn't want to be. What was up with Byun Baekhyun thanking him anyways. He didn't do it for him. He did it for Chanyeol. All of this was for Chanyeol even right now stalking the guy that could tear Sehun's love rival away from his love interest. Sehun wasn't interested in pursuing his love interest though. He wasn't the dating type. Maybe when he was forty he'd get a girl who was in love with him pregnant and marry her, maybe Sulli or any of the others working at the bubble tea shop. Maybe the manager and then he could run the bubble tea shop. Or maybe he'd just get a sugar daddy and live that way. Or be a sugar daddy. Love just made it complicated. You can't leave someone when you're in love.

 

If he hadn't agreed to help Chanyeol he wouldn't be in love anyways.

 

Kim Jongdae made his way down a crowded street outlined by cafes, small drift shops, and the rival of Sehun's bubble tea shop. It was that reason that Sehun didn't often travel this way and had never noticed the congested traffic of people. He had a hard time pushing through them going the opposite way, but Kim Jongdae seemed to push through them just fine. Sehun chalked it up to him being short. Shortie. Shorties could easily move past people just like Kyungsoo and Suho. (He ignored the fact that that only worked when wearing their mask and Luhan was just as capable as them in doing so, Jongin too, but they were all shorter than people like Sehun and Park Chanyeol...and he was thinking about Chanyeol again.) Sehun glared at his target harder.

 

Suddenly, Mr. Shortie finally bumped into someone and coffee splashed all over the place and onto Mr. Shortie's short jacket and fancy man purse. Sehun laughed. Someone walking past him hissed at him. Sehun stopped.

 

“Oh, I'm so sorry, your jacket...oh, that's this season's Kyungbin's design. It's ruined,” a familiar voice gasped.

 

Sehun pushed the people out of the way not caring if they yelled until he could see Byun Baekhyun with hs mostly empty frappuccino in his left hand and napkins headed for Kim Jongdae's chest in the other. There was a big puffy white stain on Kim Jongdae's jacket from the whipped cream. Sehun tried his best not to laugh again.

 

Kim Jongdae's hand reached out and grabbed Byun Baekhyun's. “Don't worry about that, it's almost spring anyways. I'll just wash it out and get it dried cleaned on my way home. What's more important is you're now down one grande caramel macchiato frappe'.”

 

Byun Baekhyun's eyes glittered. Sehun wanted to be sick with how obvious it seemed for this guy to be a perfect match for the hand model. “Yes, it is quite sad, but what's a few hundred won when your jacket must have cost ten times that much.”

 

“Twenty,” Kim Jongdae corrected. Byun Baekhyun looked like he was melting. “How about, in exchange for the jacket, you have a drink with me and I'll pay for bumping into you and spilling it? It's been a while since I've met someone that knew Kyungbin's work so well. I didn't know there were any fans of my cousin.”

 

“Your cousin!” Byun Baekhyun said then reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone checking the time. “I don't know.”

 

Say no, Sehun said to himself. Say no. If you go for coffee with this guy, your relationship with Chanyeol will be over.

 

Kim Jongdae put that smile back on and aimed it straight for Byun Baekhyun's heart. “Come on, just a few minutes. You're Byun Baekhyun. Kyungbin and I have always wondered if your hands, when not covered in spilled coffee, were really that beautiful.”

 

Byun Baekhyun blushed and giggled and pocketed his phone. “Alright. I can't believe you recognized me, but I do like to show off my hands.”

 

Kim Jongdae put his hand on the low of Byun Baekhyun's waist and led him into the coffee shop and Sehun watched. He watched with his mouth slacked open and heart beating fast. Why did Byun Baekhyun have to agree? Why was destiny a real thing? If only Byun Baekhyun had said no, Sehun could live on trying to forget about Park Chanyeol. But now, he had to worry. Because that's what you do when you love someone.

 


	14. “A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.”--Ingrid Bergman

**14.**

_**“A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.”--Ingrid Bergman** _

 

1\. Sehun called Chanyeol. He called him twice a day. Sometimes he hung up when he got to hello and when Chanyeol texted him asking why the connection suddenly failed, Sehun said he had dialed the wrong number. When he did manage to speak to Chanyeol it was always about Byun Baekhyun. How was Byun Baekhyun treating Chanyeol? (He's great.) Had Byun Baekhyun seduced Chanyeol yet? (N-no...we just...we just made out...on his bed.) Was he getting along with the hand model's friends? (I haven't ever really hung out with them, but the ones I have met are nice. I have a hard time understanding them once they start getting into all that fashion stuff. Most of the rest of the gossip I can follow.)

 

Chanyeol's deep voice always made Sehun's chest hurt. He felt like he was talking to a lover he had unwillingly broken up with who was now happy with someone else though he had never fathomed how that feeling would be like before. Perhaps this was what Sehun's freshman teacher felt like when he denied her advances one afternoon instead to go to a classmate's house whose elder brother had a big cock, seen on accident, the last time Sehun had gone over. (A classmate that wanted to 'practice' with Sehun before getting a girlfriend. Sehun had thought he didn't need any practice, but pointers were always useful and sex was sex, at least that's what his teacher had always told him.) She had seemed upset, but the very next year she had another teacher's pet. He wondered if he should go search her out, see if she had finally settled down or gotten pregnant. Maybe she was still a pedophile. Maybe she had moved up in age as she aged and would still want a go with Oh Sehun. If she had kept her beauty, Sehun didn't think he'd mind if only he could get it up. He wondered for how much longer Chanyeol would ruin his sex life.

 

He never saw Byun Baekhyun after the day in the coffee shop. He left as soon as it was confirmed he and Kim Jongdae did indeed sit down and have coffee together. Sehun would have preferred it if he never had to know what Byun Baekhyun did outside of his modeling career and the little torture Sehun gave himself by calling Chanyeol and asking about it. But, there was Luhan and Luhan was always excited when his jobs went well. Now that he had Jongin at his every beck and call, instead of only talking about it with Suho and Kyungsoo or going out with his fourth-cupid friend, he loudly talked to Jongin in his room where Sehun's bed was. It seemed Kim Jongdae and Byun Baekhyun were still hanging out. Of course, Sehun could just go back to the apartment, and he had tried once only to find a tie wrapped around the door knob.

 

Eventually, Sehun did have to talk to Byun Baekhyun. Not from guilt of knowing something that Chanyeol didn't. (Knowing something that hadn't even happened yet according to Luhan's updates, but Luhan was a good cupid and those pink books were never wrong.) He laid on his single bed in the room he had always shared with Luhan watching television on his phone after kicking Luhan and Jongin out when they started, to Sehun's surprise, making out. Sehun had never seen his brother kiss someone else and he had never wanted to hear him moan. It had been quiet for a while, so he figured they had gone out on a date or wherever Jongin lived since Sehun actually didn't know where the anti-cupid lived (Maybe in the housing he had when he was younger.) Kyungsoo and Suho were in their room doing who knows what, but they had always (almost) been quiet about those kind of things when they knew someone else was in the house. Suddenly, the news broke through the stupid cartoon Sehun had been watching.

 

“A bomb threat has been called in to the south convention area where Kwon Yuri is currently filming episodes of her new drama: Serving You. The police are trying to evacuate the buildings, but it is a slow progress in order to keep everyone calm. We do not currently know which building the bomb is supposed to be in.”

 

Sehun's eyes widened. He had called Chanyeol earlier. He had mentioned he was at work. He was supposed to take pictures of Kwon Yuri and a lesser actor playing a high school student on the show who were reportedly in a relationship. Chanyeol might be there. Chanyeol...might get hurt by the bomb.

 

Immediately, Sehun stopped the streaming and opened his phone. He tried calling Chanyeol but only got his voicemail. He had probably turned off his phone in order to work or left it in the car. He scrolled through his contacts wondering what he should do until he saw Byun Baekhyun's name. The boyfriend. Sehun dialed the hand model's number with a grimace.

 

“Oh, Sehun! What are you calling about?” Baekhyun asked, a laugh echoing in his voice.

 

Sehun just frowned more. “Did you hear about the bomb?”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Byun Baekhyun said. There was some whispering and Sehun figured he was talking to someone.

 

“Chanyeol's there,” Sehun pointed out.

 

“Yeah, I know.” He didn't sound worried and it confused Sehun.

 

“You aren't worried? He's your boyfriend.”

 

“Chanyeol being there is exactly why there is a bomb threat.”

 

“What do you mean?” Sehun asked.

 

Byun Baekhyun sighed. “No one called to say what time the bomb was going off and there haven't been any suspicious people. It's a fake. It's a cover up so Chanyeol doesn't get pictures of Kwon Yuri and her boy on the side. Everyone knows she's dating a boy from her home town that she'll probably marry. She's just helping that actor get better roles by having sex with him.”

 

“So, you're not even the littlest bit worried?”

 

“Not at all, Chanyeol will be fine. It's not real.”

 

Sehun wasn't sure about that. They wouldn't be evacuating so many buildings if it wasn't real. “Byun Baek—”

 

“Baekhyun! We're in the middle of a game here,” a voice, Kim Jongdae's voice, called.

 

Byun Baekhyun laughed. “Alright, give me a minute. Sehun, don't worry about it, Chanyeol will be fine. They like to keep the paparazzo out of their life, but their lives is what keeps paparazzi from starving.”

 

Byun Baekhyun hung up before Sehun could say anymore. He stared down at his phone screen. Anger rose in his chest.

 

What if Byun Baekhyun was wrong? What if Chanyeol was actually in danger? What if he got hurt all while Baekhyun was happily playing with the guy he was going to leave Chanyeol for in a year or so?

 

Sehun pushed himself off the bed and grabbed his coat. “I'm going to go save someone, be back later,” he called when he walked past Suho and Kyungsoo's room and outside.

 

If he had to be in love with Park Chanyeol, he wasn't going to sit around and _maybe_  watch Chanyeol explode because of stupid obsessed fans or whatever. He was going to keep it from happening or go down with these feelings trying.

 

**❤**

 

2\. Sehun wished he had opted to run to the shooting site instead of taking a cab. Because of the coverage on the news, everyone who had even the smallest curious bone in their body was trying to go pass to take a peek. He wondered if they all didn't take it seriously just like Byun Baekhyun. He wondered if he was really overreacting. When police cars came into view, Sehun opened the cab door and threw a wad of what he hoped were small bills at the driver before running past the car pile up blocking the street were the shooting site was. It was times like these that Sehun wished he was a full cupid, or had at least gained the masking powers of one. Stealth wasn't his favorite thing, but if he was careful, he could usually move past any situation he wanted. In this particular situation, there were police involved and Sehun hadn't had to deal with them since his senior year in high school when a college boy tried to beat him up after catching him coming out of a hotel with his girlfriend. It had just been a one time thing so he hadn't asked if she was dating. She wasn't even that good in his opinion.

 

There was a group of policemen conversing quickly in a corner close to where Sehun was walking to. The others seemed to be trying to get everyone else out and waiting for the firetruck to get there that seemed to be stuck in traffic as well as an ambulance. They already had one there probably from the shoot. If he tried to remember, Sehun was sure Chanyeol had mentioned the drama had stunt scenes in it. He tried to look small as he passed them by, moving between the rows and rows of police cars. It seemed they were really into the conversation, trying to figure out where the bomb was and trying to get the correct teams on scene while also getting all these onlookers as far away as they could.

 

“Wait, you right there. Don't go any further.”

 

Sehun straightened up and felt his hair on his arms raise. Slowly, he turned and saw one of the police with a walkie talkie in hand coming toward him. His heart started to beat faster. He really didn't like police.

 

“Where do you think you're going? Don't you see the yellow tape that's going around. You can't come here, there's a bomb.”

 

“Um...sir...I have a friend somewhere around here. His phone is off so I'm worried about if he got out okay,” Sehun said telling the truth as it seemed more believable and less like he was just trying to be a delinquent.

 

“All the celebrities and extras have already been pulled out, so just go back home, no point in causing trouble.”

 

“He...he's not a celebrity,” Sehun said. “He was...well he's kind of paparazzi, so he might have been somewhere hiding and didn't get the news,” Sehun said.

 

The police frowned. “Stupid paparazzi always making things more difficult.” He picked up his radio and it crackled before he started talking into it again. “We're going to need to send in more search team. Apparently there's some news people around. Yeah, those kind of news people. I don't know which building he might be in, there's about five of them that's possible. His friend came here worried wanting to go in looking for him. Why wouldn't there be crazy paparazzi hiding about, Kwon Yuri was here. Yeah I guess I could ask the kid if he knows where his friend might be I just....well shit he's gone.”

 

Sehun had used the time the policeman had been talking on the device to move away. He was a very active talker, going in circles and pacing the black top of the road so it hadn't been hard, but choosing which building was. He stopped and hid behind one of the left behind makeup campers to decide where Chanyeol might be hiding if he wanted a good scope of Kwon Yuri. More like, where would Kwon Yuri go to get some smooches in with a small time actor who she was just sleeping with to make him big time. Sehun looked around. Most of the shops were built right up next to each other sharing a wall between them. And there weren't any alleys big enough for good secret make out spots. Sehun looked up. There were apartment building on top of two of the stores being renovated. One right across from the other. If he was a big time star wanting to get it on, he'd go to one of those in hope to find a good bed that was still usable. But which one?

 

A crackling and a sudden explosion chose for Sehun. It wasn't huge like what Sehun imagined a bomb explosion woul, be like, more like setting off a box of low grade fireworks. A couple of boxes. He could see smoke coming from one of the apartment buildings and ran. There wasn't any fire until he got to the fourth floor and even that was easy enough to get around, but the reconstruction was still in the deconstruction stage on the higher floors and they easily started to fall apart the moment fire licked at them. Another explosion, another box of fireworks, went off on the floor above and Sehun ran to it, covering his mouth with his coat sleeve, glad he could still see through the smoke.

 

“Chanyeol! Chanyeol are you in here? Hyung!”

 

There was no answer and Sehun hurried to the top floor. He could see a figure when he went upstairs coming down on wobbly legs covering their own mouth.

 

“Chanyeol hyung!” Sehun yelled.

 

The figured uncovered his face to show a dust smeared Park Chanyeol. For a second, Sehun felt relieved and a smile started on his lips. And then another box went off right behind Chanyeol. The sound and flying crackers that flew past him made Chanyeol trip and he started to fall. Sehun rushed forth and grabbed the man in his arms, falling back the few steps he had climbed.

 

“Watch out!” Chanyeol yelled.

 

A large firecracker came shooting right at them. Sehun's first instinct was to protect the man in his arms and so he did, rolling to the side and covering Chanyeol's body with his. The firecracker shot past, scraping the material of his jacket on his back and burning a small line through it and against his skin. Sehun hissed.

 

Perhaps there had been some high grade fireworks in the mix, too.

 

“Y-you're hurt,” Chanyeol managed through a smoke induced cough when the firecracker managed to escape out a window and explode.

 

“I'll heal,” Sehun said, already feeling the burn scabbing over, but of course it was much much slower than Luhan or Jongin would heal.

 

Chanyeol's eyes were glittering. Sehun thought it was from the smoke as he stared down at the man not sure if they should get up yet. Tears started to streak down his face. It was a sight Sehun never expected to see.

 

“Why are you here?” Chanyeol asked.

 

“Why wouldn't I be?” Sehun asked back. “And why are you crying? You're not hurt are you?” Sehun's heart started beating fast again. What if Chanyeol had gotten hurt from the fall or before Sehun had even gotten there.

 

Chanyeol shook his head. “No...I...I'm stupid.”

 

Sehun was going to agree. He thought this paparazzi job was pretty stupid especially since he knew Chanyeol was good at taking photographs, too good for this, but he never got to say it. Chanyeol's hands reached out and squished against his face before bringing him down to his, lips touching Sehun's and Sehun felt dead, utterly and blissfully dead.

 

The ambulance sirens echoed in his ears, but with what the warmth of Chanyeol's lips were doing to his heart, he was sure it was too late for him.

 

**❤**

 

3\. Chanyeol's ankle was sprained. Not a bad sprain, more like twisted, and he had a few scrapes and scratches here and there, but the doctors still wanted to keep him in bed for a little while longer with all the smoke he had inhaled. Also there was the fact he was paparazzi and they didn't want him immediately going right back out to get coverage of Kwon Yuri's love scandal. The biggest injury was to Chanyeol's camera. The old timey looking expensive piece of equipment had been crushed between them on the fall down the stairs. Sehun didn't really remember much of that. He was finding it hard to retain anything from before or after Chanyeol had kissed him. He had just sort of hovered over Chanyeol for what felt like hours staring down at his teary scared face until some guys in uniform came and pulled them apart leading them to an ambulance when Chanyeol kept tripping over stuff and finally admitted that his ankle hurt. The paramedics checked Sehun over in the ambulance that he had climbed in after Chanyeol no matter the protests from the paramedics and that police officer that had stopped him before. They were baffled about Sehun's jacket. There was an obvious burnt line, but only the smallest of signs that anything had happened to his back at all. Their conclusion: It was a miracle the firework hadn't gotten his skin.

 

Of course there was still more questioning to be done by the police since Sehun and Chanyeol were the only possible suspects, though with a little bit of Sehun's glittering pink hands, he had managed to get them mostly off, but currently, Sehun was free to roam and by roam, he paced back and forth in front of Chanyeol's room door playing his fingers across his lips like a piano. Why had he kissed him? It hadn't been just a peck. He could have understood it as just a relief thing if it had been a peck...Maybe he had made the next couple seconds of the kiss up, though. He was in love and being in love could make you crazy. Maybe Chanyeol hadn't kissed him at all, but he was almost certain that the older man had been blushing when he finally let his death grip on Sehun's face go.

 

Sehun had never been kissed like that, or maybe he had just never had those feelings while being kissed like fireworks going off in his chest. Or maybe that was a delusion, too. There were fireworks going off around them after all, very dangerous fireworks.

 

With a sigh, Sehun pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He should call Byun Baekhyun, the boyfriend. He should gloat in his face that he had been right and that he had been the one to come save Chanyeol and he had been the one to get the princess' kiss. Chanyeol wasn't much of a princess, though. Sehun wasn't even sure if he could pick Chanyeol up long enough to carry him to a bed. He put the phone back in his pocket. He'd call him later when he wasn't still so shocked. First, maybe he should talk to Chanyeol.

 

He didn't let himself think about it when he opened the door. Sehun kept his eyes closed and went straight for the footboard of Chanyeol's hospital bed. He managed to get a room to himself, proof that he was a lot richer than it seemed. Chanyeol was a professional photographer even if he worked as a paparazzi most of the time.

 

“Chanyeol,” Sehun said, voice stern and he opened his eyes only for Chanyeol to turn his head to him smiling. It did weird things to his chest.

 

“Hey Sehun, you're still here.”

 

“Of course I am. You still need these hands to get you off the hook, right?”

 

Chanyeol chuckled. “Ah, Oh Sehun you do so much for me.”

 

“Well yeah, isn't that what friends are supposed to do?”

 

“Friends?” Chanyeol's eyes were wide. He looked surprised. “We're friends?”

 

Sehun felt cheeks rush to his face. “Well, y-yeah.”

 

Chanyeol smiled again. It looked a little dopey though. “That's nice.”

 

“Are you on drugs?” Sehun asked.

 

Chanyeol giggled, and unexpected sound accompanying a deep voiced response. “A little. It's for the shock they said.”

 

Sehun frowned and tapped his fingers on the plastic footboard. He needed to ask and maybe this was the best time. Maybe Chanyeol wouldn't remember. “You kissed me.”

 

“Hmm? Oh, yeah I did.”

 

“Why?” Sehun asked.

 

“Thank you...it was a thank you,” Chanyeol answered.

 

Sehun looked up. Chanyeol was staring at the ceiling and he was blushing again.

 

“Then why was there tongue?”

 

“T-Tongue!” Chanyeol squeaked.

 

“I know what a tongue feels like, Park Chanyeol. That was one of the most passionate kisses I've ever received. You don't give passionate kisses to your friends as a thank you even if they did save your life.”

 

Chanyeol groaned and covered his face with his IV injected hands. “Don't ask about that. Forget about it.”

 

“I can't forget about it, Chanyeol, please answer.”

 

“I'll cry if I have to say it.”

 

Crying. Byun Baekhyun had told Sehun Chanyeol wasn't one to cry easily, but he had already seen Chanyeol cry once today. If he was going to cry again then it must have been something important.

 

“More reason why you should say it.”

 

Chanyeol slowly lowered his hands from his face, but didn't look at Sehun. “I know what kind of person you are, Oh Sehun. I know you don't believe in love even with what you are. I know you don't want relationships. I know you only really like bubble tea and screwing with your brother, but I also know you care. You care so much and you're determined and thoughtful and you help. You didn't have to come today. Technically, our deal is done, but you still check up on me and you still saved me. And because you keep doing these things I can't help...I can't help but fall in love with you.”

 

Sehun was beyond shocked. Chanyeol was in love with him. It wasn't a one sided thing and that annoyed Sehun. He hadn't wanted this. He wanted Chanyeol to be happy, to get his dream romance, and he wanted to just go on being free of that kind of restraint. But he wanted Chanyeol and his lips threatened to curl up in a smile.

 

He felt happy.

  
And that annoyed Sehun even more.


	15. “Better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.” – Saint Augustine

**15.**

_**“Better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.” – Saint Augustine** _

 

1\. Sehun sat outside Chanyeol's room. There was a little bench there and a snack machine not far down the hall. If he looked, he could probably find a bathroom, too, though he hadn't had the urge to go. Hospital bathrooms seemed gross to Sehun though they were probably pretty clean. He sat chewing on a chocolate bar and texting Luhan mostly, because his brother had been calling him none stop once he saw the news coverage with Sehun and Chanyeol being pulled out of the building. Their faces had been covered, but Sehun had pink hair. Anyone who knew Sehun would know it was him. It didn't take long to tell Luhan what happened and not to worry and that, yes, he had managed to heal before the paramedics could question him about it, but he didn't want to think of the conversation he'd had with Chanyeol.

 

Jongin called once. Sehun told him about it.

 

Chanyeol was in love with him. Sehun was in love with Chanyeol. Chanyeol was dating Byun Baekhyun who Sehun set him up with. Byun Baekhyun was going to break up with Chanyeol for Kim Jongdae.

 

Sehun didn't know what to do.

 

He paused his texting and ran his free fingers not holding his chocolate bar through his hair with a groan. Jongin had been ecstatic for him, but Sehun could not muster the same happy feelings. Well, he was happy, deep in the pit of his stomach he was happy, but he didn't want to be happy. This wasn't what he wanted and this was complicated. If Chanyeol just wanted to sleep with him, that would be one thing. Of course, that was before Sehun had fallen for the older man. Jongin told him to go for it. Sehun's heart told him to go for it, but his head still remembered their father's face when he walked out their front door for the last time.

 

The cupid was gone. Dead or not, he wasn't Sehun's and Luhan's father anymore, he had stopped being that the moment Sehun had happened by a picture of his mother hidden in Suho's closet next to their father with her rounded belly. He had shown it to their father and asked who the lady was. The cupid had just taken the picture, stood, grabbed a jacket and his wallet, and left.

 

Heartbreak.

 

True love.

 

Sehun wanted neither of those.

 

He heard feet coming down the hallways quickly. At first Sehun figured it was just a nurse or doctor coming to check on Chanyeol or one of the patients around him, but the footsteps were too heavy and sounded heeled. He looked up only to see Byun Baekhyun in all his overpriced jacket, jeans, and heeled boot glory coming down the hall. Sehun could feel a glare coming through his UV protection sunglasses and by the length of his gate, Sehun figured the hand model was pissed.

 

Byun Baekhyun caught sight of Sehun and pointed at him. “You, where is Chanyeol?”

 

Sehun slowly took a bite out of his chocolate bar, chewing and glaring. There was a rise in his chest at the tone in Baekhyun's voice. He didn't like it, not when he had told Byun Baekhyun about Chanyeol, had tried to convince him to go look for his boyfriend, hand even managed to text him right after leaving Chanyeol's room (which was seconds after Chanyeol's confession, probably not the best reply to a confession just up and leaving but he hadn't known how to deal with that and he was pretty sure Chanyeol had fallen asleep at some point after . His calls of his name had been slurred when he walked out the door.)

 

Byun Baekhyun was the boyfriend.

 

“Oh Sehun, did you hear me?”

 

Sehun rolled his eyes and stood. “Now that you're here, I can leave. He's in there.” He pointed behind him and made as if to leave. He only got a few feet before Byun Baekhyun was already in the room.

 

Actually, Sehun had wanted to leave whenever it was that Byun Baekhyun finally checked his texts and showed up, but the moment he saw him, he was so angry. And Chanyeol had confessed. He wanted to hear what happened. Sehun moved quietly to the door and peaked in so he could hear and see.

 

“Chanyeol, are you awake?” Byun Baekhyun asked.

 

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said. He still sounded groggy.

 

“Why didn't you call me?”

 

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asked. “You mean when I got to the hospital? They said nothing was serious, they just wanted to question me and double check and then they popped me full of this stuff for shock so I fell asleep. I didn't really have time to think about calling you.”

 

“But I'm your boyfriend,” Byun Baekhyun complained.

 

“And I told you where I would be, didn't I? I know they showed it on television, about the bomb threat.” Chanyeol's voice, though still sleepy, sounded laced with venom. “Why didn't you come?”

 

“I...I thought it wasn't real. They're never real,” Byun Baekhyun defended.

 

Sehun could only see a glimpse of Chanyeol through the crack. He turned his head away from Baekhyun and sighed. “It's only real when someone you care for is there. Aren't you glad it wasn't a bomb, Baekhyun? Aren't you going to yell at me to quit my job so I don't end up in something dangerous like that again?”

 

“Y-yes of course I'm glad. Of course you're important, but I thought...”

 

“You thought I'd be smarter than that,” Chanyeol said. He reached out for the small table by his bed and waved his phone at Baekhyun. “I didn't know about the bomb threat, and when I checked my phone, you hadn't even attempted to call me and ask me if I did, to tell me to get out of there.”

 

“That's because I thought you'd be okay. You'd come back to the apartment and I'd tell you about the bomb threat and you'd make a face and we'd laugh together.”

 

Chanyeol started fiddling with his phone. “You never worry enough. Especially when you're with your friends and now that Kim Jongdae guy. It's getting annoying.”

 

“Chanyeol, stop this. You're still in shock, aren't you? It's not like I could have done anything to help you even if I had gone to fetch you myself. I would have just gotten in the way and then we would both be hurt more than you are right now.”

 

Chanyeol put his phone back. “Oh Sehun came.”

 

“He what?”

 

“Sehun, he came to get me, ran into a burning apartment in the middle of reconstruction and even blocked me from the exploding fireworks. He's a good friend, but you're my boyfriend.”

 

“Chanyeol.” Byun Baekhyun's voice was lost.

 

Sehun had had enough. He...he shouldn't have done all of that. He...he wanted to yell at Chanyeol about his job, call him stupid, tell him not to do it again, but he was right, Byun Baekhyun was the boyfriend, not him. He didn't want to be.

 

Because what happened when a half-cupid got his heartbroken?

 

He didn't bother shutting the door as he made his way down the hall. His stomach was grumbling. Food. He hadn't really eaten properly today.

 

**❤**

 

2\. The cafeteria food was better than Sehun expected. The red mush actually tasted like half decent store bought kimchi and the spam was fried in egg instead of cut up and slimy straight from the can. It had been a while since Sehun had eaten typical cafeteria food. At Sehun's university, the cafeteria food was a snack lover's dream. Certainly you had food like this, but it wasn't the only thing on the menu. There was American style pizza and hamburgers and also street vendors just outside. There was never a need to eat anything you didn't want or otherwise risk starving. Unlike in high school.

 

In high school, Sehun had been stubborn. Instead of taking the pack lunch Kyungsoo had so lovingly made for him and Suho every morning (with mouth watering delicious food), he started his high school years with bread bought from the vending machines between classes and practiced in the dance room during lunch (sometimes with Jongin if he was pretending to be a high schooler that day.) It had only been to spite his middle school classmates that made fun of him for still bringing home 'mommy's cooking'. Sehun had never once even tasted such a thing not that he would slap that into someone's face. Unfortunately, he had ended up eating the cafeteria food for a very unlucky week because Kyungsoo was tired of him wasting his delicious food. Jongin had said he hadn't even known a Korean high school could serve such awful food and dropped the spoon of brown mush he had nibbled on to taste. Sehun still refused to take Kyungsoo's lunch (something he regretted every day. Kyungsoo might still have been packing his lunch today if he hadn't been such a brat. He packed Suho's lunch, though Suho was fucking him hard.) He ended up getting food money another way.

 

Sometimes Sehun pretended he didn't know how it started. He liked to pretend it was just a slow progression of sexual tension finally hitting its limit, but he had never really seen his freshman homeroom teacher as a sex object before. The other boys in the class always thought she was hot, but Sehun's older brother was Luhan, a one hundred year old virgin, and though Suho and Kyungsoo were loud, he hadn't actually caught them going at it since he was four, a streak broke a year later when he was sixteen. It happened during lunch when Sehun had forgotten the money Kyungsoo had finally decided to give him, though still half of what he was getting before. Sehun sat at a desk in an empty classroom pouting and staring down at his math book. She walked in and locked the door behind her. Her skirt was hiked up and blouse unbuttoned to show of her surgically enhanced breasts. (The other teachers insisted they weren't that big last year). She sat on her desk, let down her hair and crossed her legs giving Sehun a show of her thigh highs.

 

“Is math interesting?” she had asked.

 

“No, I like social studies more,” Sehun had answered. It had been true. That was how he had gotten into the psychology and sociology section of his college.

 

“How about I help you study something social, Sehun?”

 

“Like what?”

 

“How many Korean boys do you think are virgins by the time they get out of high school?”

 

“Don't know.”

 

She undid the buttons of her blouse and unclasped her bra from behind. Sehun had never seen a naked woman before, even in porn he had just naturally gravitated toward gay porn.

 

“Come here, aegi,” she said.

 

Something inside Sehun had popped and Sehun got off his chair and immediately wrapped his lips around a dark rose nipple. Now a days, sucking them was just a kink Sehun had no matter man woman, top or bottom, but at that time it hadn't been right. Sliding in and out of an older woman, wetting the desk of another teacher and sometimes he went home with her, it was worth it for the snacks she bought him, but it had never been right. Kind of like his relationship with Hyuna. He did it because he needed to not because he wanted to. But, what made those relationships any less right than having sex with someone you loved?

 

Sehun had met Hyuna in the cafeteria. She had dumped a bowl of soup over his head when he turned her down the first day. (And a week later they were having angry sex in the girl's bathroom on the third story of the chemistry building.)

 

“Oh Sehun.”

 

Sehun looked up to see Byun Baekhyun standing in front of the small table Sehun had taken occupancy of in the corner of the hospital cafeteria. “Yes?”

 

The hand model was looking down, awkwardly holding the strap of his name brand handbag. Sehun thought he looked a little ruffled, dark hair sticking up in places as if fingers had been tugging and ruffling through it. There was a hard drop in Sehun's stomach and he tried not to let it turn into a frown. If Chanyeol and Baekhyun wanted to have a makeup makeout session that was their business.

 

“Thank you,” he finally said.

 

Hearing that from Byun Baekhyun was annoying. “What for this time?”

 

Byun Baekhyun gave him a startled look, at least Sehun that it was startled, the hand model still had his sunglasses on. “I...uh...for saving Chanyeol.”

 

“I didn't save him, I just pushed him out of the way of a firecracker that probably wouldn't have done more then burn him for a couple months.”

 

“Well, that's a lot. Chanyeol also told me he saw you outside the window. He wouldn't have known he was in danger, too, if he hadn't seen you.”

 

“Oh,” Sehun said. He hadn't known that. Shit. He really hadn't known that. He was glad he had gone even though Byun Baekhyun said it wasn't a big deal. Really really too glad.

 

“I'm happy and grateful to you for many things, Oh Sehun, but I'm going to have to ask something of you.”

 

Sehun tilted his head to the side. He didn't like the tone in Byun Baekhyun's voice.

 

Byun Baekhyun lowered his glasses a bit to look Sehun in the eye without interference. “I would like for you to stop seeing Chanyeol. Don't visit the apartment, don't call his phone, don't even say goodbye when you leave today.”

 

Sehun's skin stung tight across his muscle and he furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

 

Byun Baekhyun slipped his glasses back on and crossed his arms. “You gave him to me. I really like Chanyeol and I want to try to be his boyfriend, but you're sticking around too much.”

 

“You don't want me to have anything to do with Park Chanyeol?” Sehun asked. He didn't want to have anything to do with Park Chanyeol, he never did, but life didn't work that way. “What about today? What if something like this happens again?”

 

“Things like this don't happen twice. Park Chanyeol is not in need of your services anymore.”

 

Services? Sehun didn't give services, he was just...he was just helping a lovelorn idiot. “I...didn't get paid for this. I'm his friend.”

 

“He doesn't need friends like you. If he wants a friend, I have lots of friends he can talk with. I can get him more friends.”

 

Friends like him? Friends that took a month out of their lives and skipped work and tricked celebrities just to get you the best date possible. Friends that risked pushing their own brother into a relationship that might turn into a homicide if gone wrong. Friends that ran into a burning building with exploding fireworks. Or did Byun Baekhyun mean friends who let you be with someone else when they knew they'd just break your heart. Well, maybe Sehun didn't want to be that last kind of friend.

 

Sehun chuckled. “Like you're any better. I'm sure you had made a wonderful friend, but you're going to make a lousy lover for Park Chanyeol.”

 

“Are you calling me a bad boyfriend?” Byun Baekhyun asked.

 

“No, you'll be a great boyfriend for someone like Kim Jongdae, but you're just going to break Chanyeol.”

 

“H-how did you know about Jongdae? You two haven't met, have you?”

 

“I saw you two flirting it up in a cafe. I also know you guys went shopping last weekend when you told Chanyeol you had a shoot. You've also been taking up extra events just because Kim Jongdae promises to be there.”

 

Byun Baekhyun's face was red. “Are you stalking me?”

 

“No, I just have a great communication system.”

 

“Jongdae...he's just someone I met. I wanted to get to know him...he's just...just someone I met.”

 

Sehun nodded. “And you'll continue to get to know him. You should break up with Chanyeol before you know this other guy too well.”

 

The slim fingered slap across his cheek came as a surprise to Sehun. His lips opened in an 'o' and he could see a couple of old people looking over at his little corner offended by the fighting. Perhaps inferring that Baekhyun would end up sleeping with Jongdae before he broke up with Chanyeol was the wrong thing to do. He actually wasn't sure how long it would take before things escalated like that between the two pink booked destines, but he had a guess.

 

“What gives you the right to assume something like that? You were the one who gave me the courage to go out with Chanyeol in the first place. How dare you try to tell me it's wrong now. How...ugh!”

 

Sehun expected another slap, or maybe a punch this time so that Baekhyun's rings bruised his cheeks, but a lower voice stopped them both.

 

“Baekhyun, don't you dare hit him again. You're causing a scene, and you should remember who you are.”

 

 

Sehun turned and saw Chanyeol with Baekhyun's wrist in his hand towering over the other even with a crutch under his arm and a scared looking nurse holding onto his IV stand. Byun Baekhyun pulled his wrist away and looked away ashamed. Sehun finally lifted a hand to his cheek and rubbed the sting still pressing into his skin.

 

  


“Sehun, you should go home for today,” Chanyeol said.

 

Go home. Chanyeol was sending him away. Sehun stood, keeping his eyes downcast feeling like a kicked puppy and he hated it. He was becoming such an idiot letting jealousy control him like that. He didn't need jealousy.

 

 

Sehun turned around before he had completely excited the cafeteria to watch Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun bicker angrily.

 

But, maybe he needed Chanyeol.

 

 

**❤**

 

3\. Sehun ran into Chanyeol on the elevator. The other man looked up surprised, leaning heavily on one side with a crutch already dressed in his long trench coat and comfy sweatpants, comfy looking sneakers on his feet. Chanyeol's hair looked like it hadn't been washed in a couple of days and he looked a little pale, but Sehun guessed a week in the hospital would do that to you.

 

 

“Sehun, what are you doing here?” Chanyeol asked.

 

 

“You're getting discharged today, I came to pick you up,” Sehun answered.

 

 

Chanyeol pushed his crutch out toward Sehun and Sehun moved back to let the other man waddle out of the elevator.

 

 

“You really didn't have to. I'll only need the crutch for another week and they said maybe a cane after that, but, really, I'm fine, I can get home myself.”

 

 

Chanyeol wasn't looking at Sehun as he talked. He was shuffling around with his backpack and his hands twitched at his neck where his camera usually was strapped. It made Sehun sad. He sighed and reached out helping Chanyeol with his bag and taking Chanyeol's hand that wouldn't be bothered with the crutch so he would have to look at him.

 

 

“I'm not here to take you home. You look like you could use some coffee.”

 

 

“Coffee...sound good,” Chanyeol said caving and let Sehun lead him out of the hospital.

 

 

There was a cafe just down the street from the hospital that Sehun had never been to. Inside, it smelled just like any other cheap priced addicting cafe, and after setting Chanyeol up in a corner, he ordered something warm and comforting for the both of them and a over frosted chocolate cupcake for Chanyeol.

 

 

“Oh good, food,” Chanyeol said and started picking at the sweet immediately. “The cafeteria food was horrible. My high school cafeteria food wasn't even that bad.”

 

 

“Mine was,” Sehun admitted. “How are you doing with the accident?”

 

 

“Well, I think the very minor car accident I had when I first got my driver's license left me a lot more shaken than this, I'm just tired. And my camera was crushed. I saved up so much for that. I'm going to have to barrow one from work now.”

 

 

Sehun frowned. He had known that old timey looking camera must have been expensive. “What about...Baekhyun? He wasn't going to come see you today?”

 

 

Chanyeol stopped picking at the cupcake and sighed. “He has work. Maybe he'll bring something home with him. We're...fighting.”

 

 

Fighting. Already. Sehun's heart clenched. He hadn't wanted to make them fight, he wanted Chanyeol to be happy. Without Sehun. He definitely couldn't be happy with Sehun even if he said he had feelings for him.

 

 

“I'm sorry I made you two fight,” Sehun said.

 

 

Chanyeol gave him an appreciative smile. “You don't have to be. It's not your fault Baekhyun realized I like you. It's not your fault I like you, either. I get it.” He took a big bite of the cupcake and faked a bright smile, chocolate frosting smeared all around his lips.

 

 

Sehun laughed and grabbed a napkin, reaching across the table to wipe it off. He froze realizing what he was doing. Chanyeol's eyes were wide and there was a bright blush on his cheeks.

 

 

“There's...frosting on your face,” Sehun said.

 

 

Chanyeol grabbed the napkin and started patting his lips with it. “Thanks.”

 

 

Sehun took too long to lean away and he caught Chanyeol giving him questioning lovestruck looks. He wondered if that was how he looked at Chanyeol when he wasn't aware that he shouldn't look at Chanyeol. He cleared his throat and pulled out his phone. When had he changed his background to a picture of Chanyeol? Probably the day after he had caused Byun Baekhyun and Chanyeol to fight. Apparently he had quite a few pictures of Chanyeol in his phone he hadn't noticed he had taken, pictures that had probably been for getting him a lover, but were now being used to pine over and, Sehun admitted to only doing this once, jack off to when Luhan didn't show up at night.

 

 

Sehun quickly hid his phone away. “You two...won't break up, right?”

 

 

Chanyeol shrugged. “I don't think it's something you break up over, plus we live together which is why I think we're fighting for such a long time. It's hard to miss someone if they're right there all the time.”

 

 

Sehun nodded. Byun Baekhyun was right there always. Wouldn't it be worse when they did break up? “Chanyeol...since we're friends,” and Sehun actually cared whether Chanyeol ended up happy or not, “I have to tell you something.”

 

 

Chanyeol was blowing on his coffee when he looked up. There was still a little frosting on his face and Sehun rolled his eyes and handed Chanyeol another napkin.

 

 

“I still have frosting on my face?” he asked.

 

 

“Yes, but that's not it,” Sehun said. “Byun Baekhyun...I...Luhan told me something.”

 

 

“Luhan...your cupid brother.” There was dread in Chanyeol's voice. It felt like he knew what Sehun was going to say.

 

 

“I really hope you two have a long happy relationship, but he'll have an even happier one after you.”

 

 

“You're saying he's not my true love?” Chanyeol asked.

 

 

“Yes.”

 

 

“Is it Kim Jongdae?”

 

 

“Yes,” Sehun repeated.

 

 

“Is this what you came to tell me?”

 

 

Sehun shook his head. “No, but you made a point. You two are friends and you do live together.”

 

 

Chanyeol nodded and sat there quietly. It took a few moments before Sehun came to the conclusion he should leave Chanyeol to his thoughts.

 

“There could always be an exception. Call me if...you need someone to talk to,” Sehun said though he really hoped to never hear from Park Chanyeol again, but life was a sadist.

 


	16. “When love is not madness, it is not love.” – Pedro Calderon de la Barca

**16.**

_**“When love is not madness, it is not love.” – Pedro Calderon de la Barca** _

 

1\. Surprisingly, it didn't take long to make love to Luhan. Jongin found himself stopping frequently after they started dating with three fingers buried deep into the cupid, brought back to reality by the slight whimper of pain from the bowed lips of his cupid. He never continued after that even if Luhan said it was okay to continue. Jongin hated hurting Luhan and decided to ask about the speed of their relationship after their first time making love (which happened because Jongin finally decided he was ready to have a taste of that one hundred year old virgin, and just like fine wine, he was delicious). It was strange to Jongin that Luhan, who had denied his love for so long, was suddenly okay with going so far so quick.

 

“You haven’t lived with Suho and Kyungsoo for half your life, you wouldn't understand how sex crazed a cupid in love can be,” was Luhan's answer.

 

“So you're horny because you're in love with me?” Jongin asked and grinned down at his lover.

 

Luhan smirked and reached up. He cupped Jongin's face between his cum covered hands, his cum. “Perhaps.”

 

Jongin started up again. He flipped Luhan over the moment they both started to moan, watching the muscles move under Luhan's sweat soaked pale skin as he pushed deep and hard into the person he loved. Luhan moaned. He was a moaner. It was a wonder Kyungsoo, who had been on the living room couch cuddled up to Suho when they had arrived in the first place from a morning date, hadn't come in to yell at them to keep it down or to take it to Jongin's apartment that was actually only a couple blocks away. (Luhan had been surprised and angry when he found out, hitting Jongin, but they still managed to blow each other off in Jongin's tiny shower). But, they probably understood if this was a cupid thing, or they were currently going at it themselves.

 

Luhan's arms gave out and he fell onto his elbows from his original position on his hands and knees. The new angle allowed Jongin to slip in deeper, nails digging into Luhan's hips and he started a spastic thrust, making squelching sounds with all the lube and semen already inside Luhan. It made the cupid laugh between guttural moans. It made Jongin embarrassed. But Luhan's giggles were beautiful. They were like coals adding heat to the fire in his belly.

 

“Jongin,” Luhan moaned. He was squeezing Jongin so tight, hips pushing back on him so desperately. Jongin would have laughed if only he wasn't wishing he was born earlier so he could have been loving Luhan longer both physically buried deep giving the cupid what he had kept from himself and emotionally. He also found it really hot.

 

Jongin answered the moans by reaching around Luhan's body to stroke his member, thumb playing at his tip as he had learned Luhan liked it. Luhan keened into his hand and Jongin leaked heavily inside. Just like the first time (that had only occurred ten minutes before) Jongin found all that heat and friction and sounds in lovemaking with Luhan bringing him to his end much too quick.

 

Luhan came first this time coating Jongin's hand as he fell completely flush against his bedspread. Jongin had to hold Luhan's hips up, gripping the soft flesh, thumbs pressed into the edges of Luhan's butt, as he continued with his over vigorous snapping hips until finally his stomach twisted and erupted and he made a noise he wasn't sure sounded sexy or just plain desperate when he came.

 

Luhan laughed.

 

Jongin found the cupid tended to do that a lot whenever Jongin came.

 

He was half turned smiling sweetly at Jongin as if he had actually watched for the other's release. Jongin frowned and moved his hands to the bed on either side of Luhan's narrow waist.

 

“Do I make weird faces or something when I cum?”

 

“No,” Luhan said and reached up pinching Jongin's cheek. “You actually make a pretty cute face. You smile when you cum. The rest of the time you look so sexy that it's funny.”

 

Jongin turned his head and nipped Luhan's hand. Luhan tugged his hair. They started to roll around again poking and prodding at each other until Luhan finally pushed Jongin away and effectively out of him. There was a puddle that ran out of him that Jongin couldn't help staring at even as Luhan started talking.

 

“We can't go anymore, I'm already sore.”

 

Jongin pulled his eyes away from the puddle with a proud grin. “You're soar already?”

 

Luhan pushed Jongin's chest. “Don't get full of yourself, I'm just not use to it.”

 

“I could get you used to it.”

 

Luhan sat up and stared disgusted at his legs, but Jongin saw a slight blush and a twitch of his nose that meant he was trying not to smile. “Sehun'll be here soon, probably.”

 

Jongin turned on his back and stretched. “Ah, Sehun. I feel bad for him.”

 

“Why?” Luhan asked. He turned toward Jongin, reaching down to play with the anti-cupid's now gray hair. He was slowly trying to get it back to the normal jet black anti-cupids had. Luhan hadn't liked it when Jongin told him he had intended to dye it pink like cupid's hair in order to get Luhan to like him.

 

“He hasn't been getting any and here we are having our first...and second...time so happily.”

 

“Huh,” Luhan said and ran his fingers along the planes of Jongin's face. Jongin nipped his fingers when they reached his lips and earned a pout from Luhan. “I don't see why he wouldn't be? Apparently he's a good catch, he had no problems before and I promised not to yell at him for a year.”

 

Jongin was too distracted by Luhan's glittering eyes and wet lips to really focus on what he was saying. “Because he's in love with that Park Chanyeol guy.”

 

Luhan's traveling fingers stopped suddenly and he widened his eyes at Jongin. “In love? Sehun?”

 

Jongin nodded and looked away sheepishly. “I probably shouldn't have told you. He was afraid he'd make an anti-cupid or something.”

 

Luhan looked like he was about to cry. “I...I didn't know...I never knew he was affected. I knew the sleeping around probably had to do with that, but...I didn't know Sehun was afraid to fall in love.”

 

Sehun was afraid to fall in love. Jongin hadn't realized it until now. “I...don't want him to end up like your dad.”

 

Luhan pulled his legs to his chest and buried his head in between his knees. “Why haven't I talked to him about this? Half-cupids can't make anti-cupids, they'd be half-anti-cupids and that's basically a human.”

 

Jongin sat up and put a hand on Luhan's shoulder. “Luhan.”

 

The cupid turned and looked at Jongin with a sad smile. “Are you sure he's really in love with Park Chanyeol? He did seem to really care about getting that guy a date and I...I might have ruined that.”

 

“What do you mean?” Jongin asked.

 

“Byun Baekhyun will end up with Kim Jongdae,” Luhan said looking far away, the look he usually had when repeating something he had memorized from his Cupid Book.

 

Jongin nodded knowing at least the hand model's name and who he was. “And Sehun knows. Where is he right now?”

 

“He went to go see Park Chanyeol. He's getting released from the hospital today.”

 

“Luhan,” Jongin said softly, hand moving down Luhan's back. “Here I am with you only because those two forced us to actually approach each other with our feelings...I want to do the same for them.”

 

“If I could look up who Sehun's true love was, I would.”

 

Jongin reached down and grabbed Luhan's hand. “Then let's look up Park Chanyeol's.”

 

“That's...cheating,” Luhan started, “but...”

 

“But, for Sehun?”

 

“Yes, but for Sehun...” Luhan suddenly stood and started shuffling through his clothes strewn around on the floor pulling out a pink book and smiling at Jongin. “Let's look up Park Chanyeol.”

 

**❤**

 

2\. It wasn't a call, but a text the next time Sehun heard from Park Chanyeol. He was at work preparing the drinks and helping take orders instead of handling the mixer. Manager Victoria had thrown him off it when he had almost cut his finger off and spilled two drinks by now putting them in the machine properly that week, something he would never usually do seeing as he was the best with the machine. Luna and Krystal were his work mates that week and they looked worried each time. It wasn't weird for Luna to be concerned, but Sehun did try to keep his mind off of Park Chanyeol and his love problems when Krystal asked if he was okay. But, it was difficult. He was still in love with Chanyeol, how could he not think about him and how he was faring with Byun Baekhyun and when would he get his heart broken.

  


Sulli had come to take over Krystal's shift at the end of the week when he got the text.

 

**To: Oh Sehun**

**From: Park Chanyeol**

**We broke up.**

 

Sehun stared down at the message in one hand, the other hand tipping a ladle full of small tapioca beads into the strawberry jelly cubes. Krystal snapped him across the back with her apron as she left to snap him out of it.

 

“You're contaminating the ingredients you doof.”

 

Sehun looked up only to see she was already at the door letting her loose, now fire engine red, hair down from the ponytail she wore at work. He turned away from the door to see Sulli looking at him worried as she slipped her own pink apron over her head.

 

“I've heard you've been out of it lately, what's wrong?”

 

Sehun put his phone away and went about picking out the tapioca beads with his gloved hands to throw in the trash. He could hear Sulli sigh behind him.

 

“Luna, can you handle things by yourself for a minute? I haven't clocked in yet and Sehun looks like he needs a break.”

 

Of course Luna agreed. The orders were slow today anyways, so Sehun slipped off the apron and made his way to the back of the bubble tea shop. He slumped into a chair and sighed. Sulli took a seat in front of him.

 

“What's going on?”

 

“I'm in love,” Sehun answered truthfully.

 

“Oh, but isn't that a good thing?” Sulli asked and Sehun thought he heard a bit of hope in her voice.

 

Sehun bent forward in his seat and covered his face with his hands. “No, I don't want to be in love, especially not with him.”

 

“Him? Oh...it's a boy.”

 

Sehun nodded. “It's the guy I set Luna up with.”

 

“He's gay?”

 

“One of the many reasons their date didn't go right.”

 

“So, he doesn't like you back, or...?” Sulli asked.

 

“He already said he liked me, but...I finally found him someone perfect. Then I realized I liked him. Then he told me he liked me.”

 

Sulli pouted. “So he agreed to have a boyfriend even though he liked you?”

 

“He didn't think I'd like him back so he didn't tell me until after. Shit, I didn't think I'd like him at all,” Sehun said. It was frustrating. He didn't know what to do.

 

“Maybe...just let it go. It seems like you don't think it'll work out,” Sulli said. “If you think this guy is perfect for him then they should be fine, right?”

 

Sehun pulled his phone out and showed the text to Sulli. “They broke up.”

 

Sulli cradled the phone in her hand. “Oh...because of you?”

 

“No...a little...mostly because of them and because the other guy happened to find a guy that is probably perfect for him.”

 

“He's cheating?” Sulli guessed.

 

“No, but if they hadn't broken up, he would have. They're roommates. I didn't...I didn't want to see Chanyeol get hurt so I told him.”

 

“You meddled.”

 

Sehun reached across the table and grabbed the phone from Sulli. “Wouldn't you? If there was someone you loved but didn't think you could have, wouldn't you want them happy and meddle to make sure that happened?”

 

Sulli's eyes looked sad and she put her hands in her lap. Sehun suddenly understood that, yes, this gentle girl had liked him for whatever reason. She gave him a soft smile.

 

“I'm meddling right now, aren't I?”

 

Sehun frowned. “Sulli, I...can't.”

 

She held up a hand. “Oh, I know. I knew you were gay...or bi, too. And besides, you're much too sexually active for me, I'd feel insecure, but that doesn't keep me from liking you, even as just a person, Sehun. But, this Chanyeol guy, you seem to like each other. Why not take the chance?”

 

“I...” Sehun started. It was because he didn't want to break Chanyeol's heart. It was because he didn't want to break his own.

 

Sulli stood. “You're scared, I get it, but maybe you should come to a decision about this before it tears you apart. Either date him, or let him free, Sehun, don't meddle anymore.”

 

Sehun watched Sulli walk back to the counter, slipping the pink apron over her nude colored dress. If she hadn't been so pure and cute, Sehun might have slept with her already. He sighed and looked down at the phone. Sulli was right though, he needed to make a decision.

 

He dialed Chanyeol's number.

 

“Oh....Sehun, was there something...”

 

“I got your text, why did you break up?”

 

There was the sound of a static sigh on the other end. “He's just...we fought again and he's been hanging out with that Jongdae guy. I mean, even if you hadn't told me, I could have seen it. I know Baekhyun really does like me, but I want my friend to be happy, too, you know. He's not happy with me right now, though. I may have gotten a little bit frustrated telling him.”

 

“I'm sorry,” Sehun said.

 

“It's not your fault, you did the best you could.”

 

But, he really hadn't. “Give me one more chance, Chanyeol.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“To get you a date, give me one more chance.”

 

“It's past Valentine's already.”

 

“White Day, I'll get you a date for White Date.”

 

“Sehun, I really...I don't think I can handle that right now.”

 

Sehun clutched the edge of the table. “Please, give me one more chance, Chanyeol, no tricks, I'll be serious about it. I...need to make it up to you.”

 

“There's nothing for you—”

 

Sehun cut him off. “If it doesn't work out...you'll never have to see me again.” Chanyeol was in love with him and if things didn't go right because of that...then it would be easier for Chanyeol to get over him if they never saw each other.

 

And easier for Sehun.

 

“Alright, one more time, but it has to be on White Day, just one date.”

 

Good, but now came the bigger problem. Who was there to hook Park Chanyeol up with? Well, Sehun knew of one person.

 

There was always himself.

 

**❤**

 

3\. Sehun walked into Kyungsoo's and Suho's house feeling drenched. The orders had picked up after his talk with Sulli and it had started sleeting when he had gone outside. He removed his coat and hung it in between Suho's and Kyungsoo's like he use to when he was little just to annoy them and headed to the living room. The television was on, some music show playing to filter out the soft moans coming from down the hall. Sehun turned it up a little more and settled onto the couch finding the dampness of his clothes sliding against the brown leather satisfying in a way. It made him feel cold, colder.

 

He should have never called Park Chanyeol.

 

He should have never agreed to help him.

 

Sehun blamed his libido. (and in a sense he blamed his freshman homeroom teacher).

 

How was he supposed to find someone to fit Chanyeol? He should have just became a cupid. Of course he wouldn't have magically become immortal, but at least he could have gotten the masking powers and have a reason to keep his Cupid Book. But, that was cheating and letting two lovers meet too early could have consequences sometimes.

 

Sehun sighed and started to push his wet socks off with his toes then lifted his feet onto the coffee table in front of him. Love was crazy and Luhan, Jongin, Suho, and Kyungsoo were mad for even trying.

 

“You know Kyungsoo doesn't like when people put their feet on the coffee table. And are you wet?”

 

Sehun turned his head to look behind him. His brother stood wrapped loosely in a bathrobe, red marks covering his water glistened skin. “Maybe, but you are.”

 

Luhan rolled his eyes. “What are you doing here? Are you ever going back to your apartment?”

 

Sehun sighed. He really needed to do that. If not just because he was still paying the rent, then just to go pick up his stuff and officially move out. Hyuna would be pissed at him, but it wasn't like she knew where to find him other than school (and she didn't know Sehun's schedule) or the bubble tea shop (where she wouldn't want to yell and she also didn't know Sehun's schedule there either). “I think I'll just move back in here.”

 

Luhan scoffed. Sehun could hear him moving into the kitchen as he talked. “You think Kyungsoo's going to just let you in? And what about me? I don't want you in my room anymore.”

 

“You can just go move in with Jongin,” Sehun said.

 

“Huh, well there's a thought, but I think Jongin's basically already moved in here.”

 

Sehun frowned. He'd have to smack Jongin later, not that he could blame the anti-cupid for wanting to live here. He almost lived here when they were just children. Everything was easier when you were just a child.

 

Luhan came back with two mugs of tea and handed one to Sehun. He settled himself down on the couch, long white legs folded beneath each other, loose robe almost showing organs Sehun didn't want to see even if they were supposed to be on the outside. He was having enough with all those red marks. Were those teeth marks on his brother's thigh?

 

“Jongin's here, isn't he?”

 

Luhan blew on his tea and sipped softly before answering with a bright grin. “Yep.”

 

“What's he doing?”

 

“Sleeping like a baby. He's so cute.”

 

Sehun wanted to gag. He took a sip of his tea instead. No sugar. “Love sick idiots.”

 

“Welcome to the club,” Luhan responded.

 

Sehun froze for a second then spit his tea out. “W-what are you talking about?”

 

“That's disgusting. And I'm talking about the fact you're in love with Park Chanyeol.”

 

“Who told you?” Sehun's eyes were wide as he stared at his brother.

 

Luhan hummed. “Jongin. He gets loose lips after sex.”

 

Sehun coughed. Now he understood why Luhan was walking around basically naked in winter. “You guys fucked?”

 

Luhan glared at him. “We made love, but that's beside the point. Was he right? Are you really in love with Park Chanyeol?”

 

Sehun too a long sip of his tea. It was hot and burned his tongue. “It's stupid.”

 

“Love isn't stupid, Sehun. Isn't he dating someone, though?”

 

“They broke up,” Sehun explained. “I told Chanyeol...about Baekhyun and that Kim Jongdae guy. He said he could already see it happening so he broke it off before it got worse. They're roommates.”

 

Luhan nodded. “You shouldn't have told him, but that's better since they're living together.”

 

“I couldn't just let him...get his heartbroken.”

 

“So, what now?” Luhan asked.

 

“I got him to agree to let me hook him up once more. I feel like...it's my fault isn't it?”

 

“Oh, Sehun,” Luhan said and reached over, petting Sehun's damp hair with a delicate white hand. “You were just helping.”

 

Sehun leaned into the touch “I don't know anyone that will make him happy, hyung. The only person I can think of is myself.”

 

Luhan tugged his hair playfully. “Now, don't be selfish. You said you didn't want to break his heart.”

 

Sehun closed his eyes. “He's in love with me, too.”

 

“Oh.” Luhan pulled away and stood. Sehun watched his brother walk down the hall confused about what he was doing. He came back holding his little pink book with a flush on his cheeks. “Sehun, I have to show you something.”

 

Sehun shifted in his seat, heart beating faster. Luhan took his seat next to him again and opened a bookmarked page in his book. “I know how Chanyeol meets his true love, but it doesn't say who his true love is.”

 

Hope. It built up in Sehun's chest like a broken faucet filling a room, drowning him as he tried to keep air in his lungs. “That means...”

 

“Maybe,” Luhan answered and showed Sehun the book.

 

Park Chanyeol, 24, professional photographer living with Byun Baekhyun, hand model, will meet his true love _____________ on March 14, 2015 by pulling them from oncoming traffic at 8:17 pm KST.  

 


	17. “Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art everyday my Valentine!”—Thomas Hood

**17.**

_**“Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art everyday my Valentine!”—Thomas Hood** _

 

1\. Sehun was on his second chocolate bubble tea, staring at the coffee one across the table. It appeared to be melting even though the bubble tea shop was always at the perfect temperature to keep bubble tea at its best. He was probably just concentrating on it too much so he didn't have to concentrate on how fast his heart was beating. Nerves. They hadn't been this bad since Sehun came home that first day after sleeping with his teacher. He had thrown up right after eating Kyungsoo's newest recipe, which had been delicious, and he felt bad because Kyungsoo never made it again thinking he had given Sehun food poisoning.

 

Seven fifteen: it was do or die time in an hour and Chanyeol was late.

 

Of course, Park Chanyeol had no idea what Sehun had planned. To think he had been so lucky as to have Luhan's Cupid Book match up exactly to the date he had already had planned. The only problem was, whoever Sehun set Chanyeol up with may or may not be his destined person. And since the book had not specified a name...well that didn't leave many options of who it could be so Sehun did the only thing he could think of. Sehun did the one thing that would probably break his heart.

 

The bell over the bubble tea shop door rang and Sehun looked up, straw from his drink he was about to take another sip of scratching the gum of his teeth with the motion. He didn't pay mind to the slight irony taste in his mouth when Park Chanyeol was standing right there in all his tall adorable glory. Adorable. Sehun was sure that was the first time he had used that word in an non sarcastic sense since he was a child. Chanyeol was, though, still wearing that khaki trenchcoat, a too big red and white sweater over his usual dress shirt, and a fluffy Eskimo hat on his head. Sehun couldn't help but smile and that was when he knew he was too far in to just swim out so easily. He dropped the smile the moment Chanyeol's eyes met his.

 

“Oh, you're there,” Chanyeol said and walked over to Sehun's usual table in the corner next to the register.

 

Sehun gestured to the bubble tea in front of him then to the chair. “Get your drink and sit down, Chanyeol.”

 

Chanyeol tilted his head, one of the flaps of the fluffy hat shifting to graze his cheek and the eyelashes of his large eyes. Sehun looked away before he could blush.

 

“Where's...my date?”

 

“Sit,” Sehun repeated and took a long sip of his drink. It was more than halfway gone already. He was becoming and addict. More of an addict.

 

Chanyeol obeyed and lifted his drink to take a sip, a smile forming around the straw. He seemed distracted for a few minutes before frowning.

 

“Sehun?”

 

“I'm your date, Park Chanyeol,” Sehun said and took another sip waiting for the other's reaction. He could feel wide eyes staring at him until they suddenly narrowed.

 

“This isn't funny, Oh Sehun. Just because...” Chanyeol lowered his voice, “just because I admitted I liked you doesn't mean you can play with my feelings like this.”

 

Sehun bit his lip from replying that 'Yes, I can play with your feelings, I'm half-cupid and that's what cupids do'. This was supposed to be a date whether it ended with Chanyeol going home with someone else or not. It was supposed to be romantic, though Sehun didn't really do romantic.

 

“I'm not playing with you. And this isn't a pity date either. If you weren't so innocent and hadn't approached me about love fairies, I would have jumped you right then, Park Chanyeol.”

 

That made Chanyeol blush. Reactions like that brought out the cuter side of Park Chanyeol, the sides that didn't particularly make Sehun want to jump his bones, but maybe reach across the table, pinch his cheeks, and kiss him.

 

“I thought hard about this. Let's just...try and enjoy ourselves,” Sehun said.

 

Chanyeol sipped his drink then smiled and nodded. “Alright, Oh Sehun, let's enjoy our date.”

 

Sehun wrapped one arm around himself and leaned back in his chair sipping his drink. Now, what was he supposed to do next? He quickly finished and stood. “You hungry?”

 

Chanyeol looked up blankly at Sehun then nodded. “Yeah, twiggum sounds good.”

 

Sehun reached a hand out and grabbed Chanyeol's pulling him out the door.

 

“Are we holding hands?” Chanyeol asked.

 

Sehun peaked back at him. “It's not weird for boys to hold hands.”

 

Chanyeol shook his head, a bright smile on his face. “You just don't seem like the type to hold someone's hand. Except maybe your brother's.”

 

Sehun laughed. “Are you making jokes about my brother complex?”

 

“Oh, so you admit to having one then?”

 

It was nice. Sehu'sn heart steadied with their friendly quarreling. They found a stall quickly selling the food Chanyeol wanted and laughed trading the stick of fried food between each other and dipping them in sauces forcing the other to eat. Sehun felt like he was back in middle school walking around with friends late at night waiting for Kyungsoo, or Luhan, or even worse, Suho, to call and yell for him to get back home. Sehun entangled his fingers with Chanyeol's as they moved down the sidewalk. They were about the same size and he took note of how soft they were except for his thumb and forefinger, the ones used to press on the camera, and the spots on his hands were a pencil would be pressed.

 

They stopped at a shop with a hat display outside and Chanyeol forced a bunch of them onto Sehun's head. Sehun laughed and swatted them away.

 

“You're cute when you laugh, Sehun. You look like a baby.”

 

Sehun knocked Chanyeol's fluffy hat off and stuck a floppy girl's hat in its place. “And you look like a five year old girl stuck in a giraffe's body.”

 

Chanyeol pouted. He was a cute giraffe though.

 

There hadn't been much of a plan when Sehun decided they would go on a date. He had never been on a date. His past lovers had taken him out to eat or asked him to go to a movie and then after they'd have sex, maybe go to a club, but that just felt like a job before actually getting to the good part. This felt like hanging out with a friend, a friend you had a very big crush on that you knew also had a crush on you. It wasn't really romantic just walking down the snow covered street, Sehun thought, but it was fun and he was still holding Chanyeol's hand. He was surprised their fingers hadn't frozen together with the snow that was now coming down in thick layers.

 

“Hey, let's run,” Chanyeol said.

 

“Why?”

 

“To get warm. We'll run to the crosswalk. There's a cafe we can get hot chocolate and coffee at on the other side and wait out the snow.”

 

Before Sehun could agree, Chanyeol's hand had already slipped out of his and he was running down the sidewalk pushing past people. Sehun chuckled and followed him, at first slow, but then quickly when the snow started making it hard for him to see where the other was. He almost went passed the crosswalk and turned around, hand reaching out to grab Chanyeol's trenchcoat playfully, but he missed by an inch and his shoe slipped against the ice covered sidewalk and there were lights illuminating the falling snow growing as they approached Sehun and hands around his waist tugging him away, black tires barely missing the toe of his right shoe. Sehun turned to see Chanyeol looking down at him with wide scared eyes and he let go of Sehun's waist. Sehun blinked trying to understand what had just happened, heart racing then racing some more as he pulled out his phone.

 

8:18 pm

 

Sehun started laughing. Chanyeol started laughing beside him.

 

“That was close,” Chanyeol said.

 

“Yeah,” Sehun agreed and pocketed his phone. Then, he turned, reached up cupping the back of Chanyeol's head, and pulled him in for a kiss.

 

**❤**

 

2\. The cafe was a Hello Kitty cafe because Chanyeol was allergic to cats, but still loved them. Sehun found out he loved all animals as Chanyeol rambled on about them with pink tinting his cheeks sipping a white chocolate latte that had had a Hello Kitty design on it until Sehun stuck his spoon in it to pop Chanyeol out of his post kiss stupor. The other man had just stared across the street when Sehun pulled away after a short kiss (because he remembered they were in public and couldn't kiss Chanyeol how he actually wanted to, pouring all the relief he felt into the other's lips).

 

Sehun sat with a hot chocolate and something called a rice crispy treat that tasted more like cereal and marshmallows. He was going to offer it to Chanyeol if he ever shut up.

 

“Chanyeol, do me a favor and stuff this in your mouth so I can talk,” Sehun said finally just pushing the treat across the table.

 

Chanyeol bit his lip then looked down and stuffed the treat in his mouth resembling a hamster, or maybe more a ferret with puffed up cheeks. He tried to talk, but all that came out were mumbled gargles and saliva. He covered his mouth to chew and the blush went up to his cute sticky-outy ears. Sehun chuckled and stirred his hot chocolate. He felt so light.

 

“We're going to start dating for real,” he said.

 

Chanyeol tried to yell a 'what', but only managed to spit crisp across the table. Sehun picked one up and stuck it on Chanyeol's hand.

 

“And we're going to go back to your place and 'make love' or whatever. Is Baekhyun there?”

 

Chanyeol nodded his head.

 

“Tell him to go ride Kim Jongdae or something.”

 

Chanyeol started to say something else, but Sehun just put another saliva covered crisp on his hand. “I know you're all 'wait until the right moment', but I'm impatient and I haven't gotten laid in weeks because of you. You probably didn't know I liked you back, right?”

 

Chanyeol squeaked.

 

Sehun pulled out his cellphone and smiled seeing the time. Nine pm, there was no time for Chanyeol to have saved someone else and having the time just off. “We can talk about the specifics later, so I'll be quick and to the point. Luhan showed me your name in his Cupid Book. Your true love's name hadn't shown up which could mean many different things, but it's me. Cupids' and anti-cupids' and half cupid's names don't appear in the book. I'm your true love, you're mine, there's your romantic part of this so hurry up and finish your coffee so we can have sex.”

 

Chanyeol finally managed to swallow his food with his drink and looked at Sehun shyly. It was a look that only fueled Sehun's need.

 

“You're...so blunt.”

 

Sehun raised a brow. “You don't want to? I'm not going to rape you, but I know how this works. We could take this slow, but if we go ahead and get to the good parts I'll probably be more inclined to accept a marriage proposal in Italy in a year.”

 

Chanyeol was fully red. Sehun grabbed his fluffy hat and slapped it back onto Chanyeol's head then smiled. “Or maybe I'll do the proposing.”

 

They ended up in front of Chanyeol's apartment still holding hands with Chanyeol failing at dialing in Baekhyun's number on his phone not even an hour later with snow still falling heavy outside.

 

“If he's not picking up, he's probably not home,” Sehun said getting impatient. He was horny, relieved, and admittedly in love. There was only one thing he could think about that would be able to express all those feelings at once.

 

“But we just broke up a few weeks ago. He might get mad if we walk in like this and he's there.”

 

Sehun understood, but Baekhyun still wasn't picking up, so Sehun reached out and knocked on Chanyeol's door. They waited a minute. Silence. Sehun turned to Chanyeol glowering. “Open your door or I swear I'll blow you in the hall.”

 

Chanyeol made a sound between a frightened squeak and a muffled moan then fumbled with his keys. Sehun chuckled and walked passed Chanyeol, throwing his coat onto the couch and then turned to Chanyeol with his hands on his hips. The older man looked everywhere but Sehun as he went to put his trenchcoat away.

 

“D-do you want a drink?” Chanyeol asked.

 

“Not really.”

 

“What about food? You're probably hungry. Don't I always feed you when you come over?”

 

Chanyeol started past Sehun for the kitchen. Sehun grabbed his wrist to make him look at him. “I much rather just eat you.”

 

Chanyeol pulled his arm away and looked around nervous. He lifted a hand to his hair, pulling fingers through growing brown locks. “It's not that I don't want to, it's just...it's been a long time and I haven't done it with a guy yet. And making out with Baekhyun was a lot like making out with a girl, so...”

 

Sehun laughed. “Okay, I got it. You go to your room or whatever and get yourself prepared. I'll wait out here until you're ready.”

 

Chanyeol took a big breath and marched to his bedroom. Sehun sighed and pulled out his wallet filtering through receipts and IOU's for a condom. He sat on the couch fiddling with it for ten minutes before getting up and peeking in on Chanyeol. The other man was just sitting on the edge of his bed still trying to undo his shirt with shaky hands. Sehun walked in and knelt in front of Chanyeol surprising the other.

 

“I'll do it,” Sehun said and reached up to replace Chanyeol's hands with his own on the white enamel buttons of Chanyeol's undershirt. He did it slowly, letting sculpted porcelain skin show. Pushing the fabric apart, Sehun leaned in and kissed down Chanyeol's chest and stomach.

 

“Sehun,” Chanyeol gasped.

 

He moved to Chanyeol pants, but a tug of his hair stopped him.

 

“You're dressed,” Chanyeol said.

 

So he was. Sehun stood and pushed the rest of Chanyeol's shirt off before straightening up and he reached for the edge of his long sleeved t-shirt. He lifted it up then ran a hand through his pink hair feeling embarrassed suddenly. “Sorry, I haven't worked out in a while.”

 

“You...have really broad shoulders,” Chanyeol said.

 

Sehun raised his shoulder higher at the comment and studied Chanyeol. He seemed memorized by Sehun's naked torso, large eyes glittering like an animal that had been shown something new and possibly dangerous. He reached out to touch Sehun's stomach. The cold tips of his fingers made a shiver run through Sehun's body.

 

“Oh, you have a happy trail. It's pink.” There was humor in his voice and it made Sehun frown. He reached out and pushed Chanyeol's upper body down on the bed.

 

“Don't talk about my private hairs until I've seen yours.” He started to pull Chanyeol's pants and boxers off.

 

“I don't have any though.”

 

Other than the light trail over his abs, Chanyeol was baby smooth. Sehun lifted a brow, hands ghosting over the clear view of Chanyeol's crotch.

 

“My ex-girlfriend liked it that way.”

 

Of course. “I don't have a preference so you don't have to bother shaving it if it's a hassle.” He pulled out the condom. “Speaking of preferences, top or bottom?”

 

Chanyeol's eyes went to the condom and he swallowed. “I—I don't know.”

 

“Well, it's not like we can decide on it based off weight or height, we're about the same on both.” It had been a while since Sehun had topped (fucking Hyuna didn't count), but he was almost positive Chanyeol would have topped for Byun Baekhyun and bottomed for Wu Yifan. Sehun wasn't either of those people, though. “I've been around so I know how to do it both ways, but,...how about you give me your butt virginity.” Chanyeol was Sehun's first love, might as well take some first from him as well.

 

Chanyeol groaned, but nodded. “Make out with me first. We haven't done that yet.”

 

Sehun specifically remember Chanyeol's tongue being in his mouth during that firework explosion, but he chose not to point that out and just leaned forward, settling between Chanyeol's long legs, and kissed him. The tongue thing happened again quickly. Sehun assumed it was a kind of kink of Chanyeol's and he grew hot fantasizing whether or not Chanyeol had a thing for his tongue sucking and licking around other places. He lowered his jean covered crotch to rub against Chanyeol's naked one drinking in the deep reverberating moans like Irish coffee, dark and intoxicating.

 

“Tilt your head,” Sehun said when he pulled away for breath.

 

Chanyeol did so, hands coming to grip at the skin on Sehun's back. “I know how to make out.”

 

“Yeah, I'm sure,” Sehun said then leaned down and started to suck along Chanyeol's neck, placing red marks against the long expanse there. He didn't usually bother with hickeys and he hated when his temporary lovers gave them to him, but he wanted to make Chanyeol's body his, his heart pounded with just the idea.

 

Chanyeol's nails scratched down his back. It hurt and Sehun nipped the other man's neck in response, but it seemed another kink was a bit of rough play. No wonder he had never been able to satisfy his ex-girlfriend correctly, he hadn't allowed himself to satisfy himself.

 

Sehun moved his hand down Chanyeol's side and grabbed his length, stroking it. Chanyeol arched and his fingers scratched up Sehun's back then went to cover Chanyeol's eyes as he moaned.

 

“This...isn't your first time getting a hand job from someone is it?”

 

Chanyeol nodded. Sehun remembered Hyuna feeling Chanyeol up, but that was before they found out Chanyeol was gay. Sehun pressed his thumb against his slit and moved his mouth to one of Chanyeol's nipples, suckling, so as not to call Chanyeol cute or something equally embarrassing. The man beneath him let out a strangled sound and wriggled like a puppy hands going from his face to Sehun's shoulders then his hair. Sehun wondered if he was going to have to tie Chanyeol's wrists up if he couldn't figure out where to put his hands. Maybe that would be something he'd do on another day when he wasn't trying to have sex for the first time with his...true love...(the thought made him shiver and want to throw up. Even if he did somewhat believe in that stuff, he still found it unfathomably cheesy).

 

“Sehun, just....”

 

Sehun pulled away from sucking the pointing rosy flesh. He wiped his lips and moved down farther on Chanyeol's body. “Grab me a pillow and lube.”

 

“Lube,” Chanyeol muttered to himself, pulling himself up more on the bed to reach the nearest nightstand then threw a small bottle as well as a pillow at Sehun.

 

“You ever finger yourself?” Sehun asked as he poured lube onto his hands after shoving the pillow under Chanyeol's hips.

 

“Don't ask that kind of thing when you're about to do it yourself,” Chanyeol said looking away, red, whether from blushing or from all the foreplay, Sehun wasn't sure. He took his response to mean Chanyeol had.

 

“Cute.” The word escaped Sehun's lips before he realized it. Sexy was probably a better word, but he was already turned on, imagining Chanyeol riding his own fingers while looking at pictures of idols was funny to him. Did he masturbate to the pictures he took of Sehun on his phone? He'd have to ask to watch him do it when they were further in their relationship. Like May or something.

 

“You're the cute one,” Chanyeol said. His eyes were glittering when Sehun met them. He felt shy suddenly.

 

“I'm...I'll be taller than you probably. And more muscle...probably.”

 

Chanyeol settled into the bed spreading his legs more for Sehun not seeming so embarrassed about that as much as he had been embarrassed to start. “Good. I mean if I like bottoming that's good.”

 

Sehun finally just shoved a finger into Chanyeol. He jumped at the sudden intrusion. Sehun continued to jack Chanyeol off with his other hand as he started to stretch Chanyeol. The other man was pretty silent through the hole process, eyes closed and lips parted in soft steady breaths. There was a silence in the room filled with just those breaths and Sehun's own beating overheated heart. He broke it when the third finger was pushed in and Chanyeol's brows wrinkled with discomfort.

 

“What are you thinking about?” He undid his pants.

 

“You,” Chanyeol answered. “What you're about to do.”

 

“Fantasizing? Does that help with the pain?” Sehun tore open the condom

 

“Yeah.”

 

Sehun pulled out his fingers and pressed his tip against Chanyeol's entrance. “I'll give you something more tangible then.”

 

Chanyeol screamed when Sehun slid in. He tried to do it smoothly, but quickly. The heat and pressure was immense and Sehun couldn't ever remembering having someone this tight before. It was like every rise of Chanyeol's entrance pressed perfectly against every quiver of his dick. Chanyeol's hands were back on his shoulders, nails, longer than Sehun would think a man would keep them, digging into the skin there.

 

“Baekhyun was right...big...hurts,” Chanyeol said.

 

Sehun felt a bit proud, but also tried to stay still wondering if he should have entered before he was this turned on, but he had never really been this turned on before. His previous sexual escapades had been because he needed to pound, not because there was someone he needed to pound.

 

“Move,” Chanyeol said.

 

Sehun leaned down and nipped at Chanyeol's lips, sucking them playfully as he started to move knowing he needed to get Chanyeol back into this so he could feel the pleasure faster.

 

Chanyeol groaned and nipped back. He finally settled with one hand in Sehun's pink hair making it stand in tuffs and the other running nails up and down the scratches he had already made on Sehun's back. They dug back in when Sehun started to move.

 

Unlike many of Sehun's past bottom lovers, Chanyeol actively participated once the whimpers of pain had died down. He was all arching and moaning, strong thighs holding Sehun in place , popping his hips, awkwardly, but perfectly, with Sehun's thrusts. Honestly, Chanyeol's pleasured face looked a bit funny, but it was beautiful, an attractive silly beauty, things Sehun had always liked but could never find embodied in one person.

 

It wasn't like he had been looking, though.

 

He came first and moved back to sucking Chanyeol's nipples, a hand stroking his length as Chanyeol continued to move his hips on his member probably not even realizing it quite yet. Chanyeol came like a hot mess in Sehun's hand.

 

“You came first,” Chanyeol said, more slurred, obviously exhausted as he tried to catch his breath from the sudden high.

 

“Couldn't help it, I'm in love with you, too.” Sehun pulled out and licked his hand cleaned much to the embarrassment of his new lover who turned his upper body to hid his face in his pillow.

 

“Gross.”

 

“Gross now, but just wait until I give you a blow job,” Sehun said and wiped the rest on Chanyeol's sheets.

 

“Did you mean it?” Chanyeol asked, face still in his pillow. “The 'I love you' you just said, I mean.”

 

Sehun hadn't really realized he'd said it. Wasn't exactly the most romantic time to admit to that, but Sehun wasn't a romantic person. “Before you confessed it kind of happened.”

 

Chanyeol laughed and clenched his thighs around Sehun's hips. “You're staying here and we're going to talk about this in the morning. I worked late yesterday and earlier today and you're way too good for someone who came first.”

 

Sehun wasn't sure if that was a compliment or criticism, but he managed to pull himself out of the death grip of Chanyeol's thighs and sprawled belly up on Chanyeol's bed with his hands resting beside his head. Chanyeol shifted around, too, laying on his stomach and Sehun could feel his eyes on him. Then he felt a hand slipping into his. He tightened his fingers against the invading fingers and the warmth that pressed against his hand pressed long into his dreams.

 

**❤**

 

3\. Sehun awoke when he felt lips press against his cheek. His eyes opened already in a glare, lips feeling dry and puffy and one side of his face numb. There was a blurry face in front of his looking down at him and he sat up, sheet falling from his shoulder, and rubbed his eyes. When focused, he was met with the image of Park Chanyeol adoringly smiling at him. The older man reached out for the blanket and lifted it up wrapping it around his shoulders again.

  


“I'm not a baby,” Sehun said. His voice sounded like a toad’s.

 

Chanyeol lifted a hand and ruffled Sehun's hair. “I know that very well.”

 

Sehun's head moved with Chanyeol's hands and he grinned a bit. His eyes roamed over Chanyeol sitting beside him and frowned when he noticed the other was already dressed in winter pajamas, though the first few buttons on his shirt were open giving Sehun a nice view of the love bites decorating his collar. Sehun reached out and grabbed Chanyeol's shirt pulling him in and placed a kiss on the revealed skin.

 

“Oh...is that some kind of good morning kiss?” Chanyeol asked. He was flushed just from that action and Sehun thought it was funny.

 

“I guess. Do you have an extra toothbrush? I don't like making out with morning breath.”

 

Chanyeol pulled out of bed and looked around his room. “Um, yeah.” He limped over to his closet pulling out a spare and some sleeping pants.

 

Sehun laughed.

 

“Don't. This is your fault anyways,” Chanyeol said and threw the clothes at Sehun.

 

“I know, that's why I'm laughing.”

 

Chanyeol ended up laughing, too, and left the room.

 

Sehun was upset Chanyeol's pants were too long. He would have to grow another few inches soon. Also, Chanyeol's toothpaste was nasty. Or maybe that was Baekhyun's. Where was Baekhyun? Maybe Kim Jongdae was playing rebound buddy. Chanyeol was in the kitchen stirring something around in a pan. Sehun crept up on him quietly and wrapped his arms around the other's firm and thin waist.

 

“Oh, Sehun,” Chanyeol said, jumping at the Sehun's contact. “I...I'm making breakfast. It's just eggs and rice.”

 

“Is it going to make me sick to my stomach?” Sehun asked sleepily and kissed up Chanyeol's neck making him shiver and spill a few clumps of scrambled eggs over the pan.

 

“It will if you keep doing that.”

 

Sehun pulled away, fingers running through Chanyeol's floppy morning hair, and sat down at the counter.

 

Chanyeol turned the stove off and went to his rice cooker. “I never thought you'd be like this.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“Intimate.”

 

Sehun lowered his head onto the counter, smiling sleepily, softly, at Chanyeol as he fixed their breakfast. “I never thought I'd be in love.”

 

Chanyeol's hand shook as he made his way to the counter and sat beside Sehun with their food.

 

“You're actually in love with me?”

 

Sehun poked at his eggs. Was it just him, or were they a little green? “I told you already. You're a complete idiotic driven hopeless romantic, everything that I'm not.”

 

“You're an idiot, too.”

 

Sehun flicked egg at Chanyeol. “It's a different type of idiot. I've never really had anything I wanted to do and, even though I'm a cupid, I didn't really believe in all this love stuff.”

 

“So was it only because of your brother's book?” Chanyeol asked.

 

“Cupids, half-cupids, and anti-cupids don't appear by name in that book. Your true love didn't have a name specified, which could mean they were going to die even after you saved them, or they just hadn't bee specified yet, or they were me.”

 

“And it's you?”

 

Sehun nodded and chewed on the the eggs. They tasted a bit fishy. “Yeah, you were supposed to save someone from a car at that time. I was in love with you before then. I was in love with you before you told me you loved me. I realized it after your date with Baekhyun.”

 

“Then why didn't you return my feelings earlier?”

 

Sehun put his chopsticks down and turned to Chanyeol, eyes serious as they stared into his lover's large glittering ones. “I didn't want to break your heart. I just wanted you to be happy. And I still don't think I'm good enough for you.”

 

Chanyeol's hands suddenly clasped against Sehun's face and his lips pressed against his. Chanyeol rested his forehead against Sehun's after the light peck, breaths mingling with each other.

 

“If you never get your heartbroken, it's like winning the lottery ten times. Don't be afraid to love me, Sehun, it makes me happy. And if we're truly meant to be together it won't matter what kind of idiots we are.”

 

“Okay.” Sehun chuckled and moved one hand to the back of Chanyeol's head, pulling him in for another, rough kiss. They had brushed their teeth, they could make out now.

  
He ended up brushing his teeth about ten more times, kneeling by the toilet bowl in Chanyeol's bathroom. Sehun was never letting Chanyeol cook for him again.

 


	18. “At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.”—Plato

**18.**

_**“At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.”—Plato** _

 

1\. It was April when Sehun let Suho and Kyungsoo meet Chanyeol. Luhan couldn't keep his mouth shut for ten minutes before blabbing to their parent figures about Sehun's official relationship with Park Chanyeol and he almost wished he hadn't moved back in with how much Suho teased him and how Kyungsoo kept lecturing him on using protection and how to properly stretch someone (after Sehun corrected him that Sehun was more in the dominate position. They had tried the other way, but Sehun could understand why Chanyeol's ex-girlfriend never seemed satisfied. You had to put in a lot of work with Park Chanyeol. Sehun had never wanted to work more in his life). Jongin had assured Sehun that he had gotten this reaction a month before with Luhan and it continued now that he was moving in which left Sehun awkwardly sharing the large bedroom with the cuddly active Luhan and Jongin couple or move into the guest bedroom which, after their father had left, was turned into a walk in closet. Both reasons why Sehun didn't want to move in there.

 

Sehun stayed at Chanyeol's every night Byun Baekhyun didn't show up or was politely asked not to come home.

 

As always, Park Chanyeol was a nervous wreck. Sehun lounged on the tan leather couch flipping through the porn channels on Chanyeol's television just to annoy his pacing lover. He had his trenchcoat on already, but was still wearing his pajama pants with two different pairs of navy slacks on the back of the couch.

 

“Just wear jeans,” Sehun said for the tenth time.

 

“How can I wear jeans to dinner with your parents?”

 

Sehun rolled his eyes. “I said they were like my parents, but they're not my parents, Chanyeol. Just wear jeans. Those tight ones that show off your butt. And don't you have any other coat than that trenchcoat? How about that leather jacket? It's April.”

 

“Oh Sehun, you're just trying to make me look hot.”

 

Sehun flipped to cartoons. Why didn't they ever show gay porn on television? “Of course I am. Are Suho and Kyungsoo going to jump you after dinner or am I?”

 

Chanyeol let his slack legs smack Sehun in the back of the head as he pulled them off the couch. “Fine.” He came back out in a long sleeved t-shirt, the suggested pants and leather jacket.

 

Sehun grinned at him and stood after shutting off the television. “See, now you look hot.”

 

“And you look like a ten year old boy? Why do you get to wear slacks and a button up? And your hair looks horrible gelled like that.”

 

Sehun frowned and ran his fingers through his pink hair. He was trying to look more mature, not that he would tell Chanyeol that.

 

They arrived at Kyungsoo's and Suho's place twenty minutes later having stopped twice after getting out of the cab because Sehun suddenly felt the nerves Chanyeol had had. What if Suho and Kyungsoo didn't like Chanyeol? He was a tall awkward cute bundle of man. And he would probably knock a glass of wine all over Kyungsoo's white tablecloth or maybe he wouldn't like Kyungsoo's cooking. And what if Luhan spilled a bunch of stuff about their sex life? It wasn't like Sehun could keep from gushing about it to his older brother when the other liked to fill his ears with how amazing Jongin was in bed.

 

It was Chanyeol that knocked on the door once at the house. Suho answered the door.

 

“Oh, he really is tall,” was the first thing the high ranking cupid said, a frown showing. “Kyungsoo's not going to like that? Why do you two always get taller lovers?” He turned and started fro the kitchen leaving the door opened.

 

“Does that mean he doesn't like me?” Chanyeol asked.

 

Sehun took his hand and pulled him inside. “No, they just have height jealousy.”

 

Kyungsoo had a hotpot boiling in the middle of the table and was pouring wine for them, no tableclothe on the table. He looked up with wide eyes analyzing them then glaring. “Tall people.”

 

Suho came up behind his lover, wrapping one arm around his waist. “I told you. At least I'm not taller than you by much.”

 

Kyungsoo turned his glare to Suho for a few seconds then pecked his cheek. “Go sit down. You two sit down, too.”

 

Sehun quickly moved to pull a chair out for Chanyeol. The older man laughed at him, but took the chair anyways with a teeth showing smile.

 

“Where's Luhan and Jongin?” Sehun asked.

 

“They wouldn't shut up about you two so we threw them out until dessert,” Kyungsoo said and handed over a bowl to Chanyeol.

 

Chanyeol bowed and took it. “Thanks...uh...thanks for inviting me, too.”

 

“Of course, you're going to be family,” Kyungsoo said.

 

“We're happy Sehun has someone,” Suho added. “We were afraid he'd be left all alone.”

 

Chanyeol frowned. “Alone?”

 

“Yes, we're cupid. Sehun's...”

 

“I'm going to get old and die and they won't,” Sehun said. He felt...sad suddenly.

 

A hand moved to Sehun's thigh and he looked up to see Chanyeol looking at him with soft eyes.

 

“You won't grow old and die alone, yeobo.”

 

A part of Sehun cringed at the affection, but another part of him was happy and thankful and that was the part that managed to smile at Chanyeol and he placed a hand over top of the elder's on his thigh.

 

“Wow,I would have never thought I'd see Sehun being all lovey dovey in front of us,” Suho teased.

 

Sehun managed to kick him under the table. It only got worse when Luhan and Jongin arrived for pie. They left back to Chanyeol's apartment bright red, but holding hands. Always holding hands.

 

**❤**

 

2\. They ran into Byun Baekhyun on the way back. It had been a month since Sehun had seen the hand model off of television or billboards. According to Chanyeol, Byun Baekhyun hadn't been happy about Chanyeol dating someone else so soon after their breakup. They didn't tell him who Chanyeol was dating right away. Chanyeol had informed his roommate after the weeks of constant pestering about his limping because it was obvious whoever Chanyeol was dating had managed to get him into bed pretty quick and frequently. The fact that it had been Sehun who ended up with Chanyeol had Byun Baekhyun angrier than had it been some random person Sehun had hooked him up with. Chanyeol had been vague on what had actually been said, but Sehun felt guilt rise in his chest every time he saw the same emotion in Chanyeol's eyes when he thought about his roommate and friend. He hoped they would still be friends.

 

 

Byun Baekhyun was outside the apartment talking on his cellphone beside a small truck. He hung up when he noticed them coming back, crossing his arms and leaning against the shiny expensive looking hardy vehicle. “Oh, Chanyeol you're back earlier than I thought you would be. Not staying the night?”

 

Sehun caught the look Baekhyun shot them and answered. “No, my brother and his lover are there. We share a room.”

 

Baekhyun smirked. “I thought you lived in an apartment.”

 

“It was a waste of money staying there.”

 

Byun Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Of course living with your parents would be cheaper.”

 

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol warned. The hand model seemed to shrink back.

 

“Sorry.”

 

Sehun didn't take much offense to it. He deserved a little hostility from the other man for causing him to break up with a man Baekhyun had been so careful about falling in love with in the first place.

 

A man walked out of the apartment dragging a dolly piled up with boxes. Sehun glanced at them and frowned seeing Byun Baekhyun's name written on them. He frowned more seeing who the man was. Kim Jongdae.

 

“Are...you moving?” Sehun asked. Taking a glance at the truck, that was probably Jongdae's, he noticed other boxes and furniture inside.

 

“Yeah. I need an apartment closer to work. Also, since I'm getting more famous, my manager doesn't want me bringing cameras into an apartment with a paparazzi.”

 

Sehun felt Chanyeol stiffen up next to him. “Isn't the apartment expensive?”

 

“Chanyeol makes plenty of money. He'd make even more if he just quit the magazine and did photography professionally.”

 

“My apartment's more,” Kim Jongdae piped up. “I was a little overzealous when purchasing this new one so I'm happy to have Baekhyun move in with me. There's a lot more space for the get together someone in his position would need to succeed.”

 

Sehun was confused. He could understand what they were saying, but wasn't it rude to say so in front of Chanyeol? He nudged his lover, but the older man just stared at the ground.

 

“You're moving in with Jongdae?” Sehun asked. Where they dating now? Wasn't that a bit quick for two people who didn't know if they belonged together even if they did?

 

Baekhyun flushed and pulled out his phone. “I can't afford that kind of apartment myself and Jongdae has contacts I need.”

 

Sehun sighed. It sounded like...Chanyeol and Baekhyun's friendship was over. He mustered a smile and turned to Baekhyun. “I hope you're happy where you're moving to. And...” he glanced at Jongdae, “you're going to really want to take care of this one. Don't break his heart too many times.”

 

“W-we're not dating,” Baekhyun stuttered leaning off the truck.

 

“You will be,” Sehun said and grabbed Chanyeol's hand, pulling him to the elevator. An older lady got on with them and he waited for her to get off before turning to his lover. “You don't seem very surprised to see Baekhyun moving.”

 

“Because I already knew,” Chanyeol answered.

 

“And you didn't tell me?” Sehun tried to keep his voice even.

 

“Sorry. I just didn't want you to try and get him to stay.”

 

Sehun caught Chanyeol glancing at him with sad wary eyes. Chanyeol was right, Sehun would have tried to get Byun Baekhyun to stay.

 

“I...really wanted you two to stay friends. I really wanted you two to be in love.”

 

Chanyeol chuckled and used his free hand to ruffle Chanyeol's hair. “But where would that leave you? Alone? I couldn't leave you alone, Oh Sehun.”

 

Sehun lifted his head, first glowering at his lover, but that quickly turned into a gentle smile. “Yeah, it's nice not being alone.”

 

“Besides,” Chanyeol said and squeezed Sehun's hand, “if Baekhyun was still living here, it'd be too awkward for you to move in, too.”

 

Sehun raised a brow. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

 

“Well, it's not like you can live in that closet once Jongin moves in.” Chanyeol was grinning at him and Sehun felt his heart beat increase.

 

Why was this clumsy awkward idiot so perfect for him?

 

“You better have more than one condom in your dresser for tonight, Park Chanyeol.”

 

**❤**

 

3\. Chanyeol initiated. He pushed Sehun down on the bed and climbed on top of him, pulling his shirt off slowly to reveal the lines of his abs. Sehun grinned and lifted his hands to run along the lines of his lover's stomach, lifting his hips to meet Chanyeol's.

 

“What's this?” Sehun asked.

 

Chanyeol hummed and started to push Sehun's shirt up. “I'm thanking you.”

 

“For what?”

 

He managed to slide Sehun's shirt off leaving Sehun's pink hair in tuffs fanned out on the bed sheets. “For not running back downstairs after I told you about Baekhyun.”

 

Sehun raised a playful brow. “I still could.”

 

Chanyeol's hands pressed onto his shoulders. “Don't you dare.”

 

“Anything else?”

 

“Hmm,” Chanyeol hummed and started on Sehun's pants, “and a thank you for letting me meet your family.” He slowly pulled down Sehun's pants and boxers leaving him naked on the bed.

 

“They...mngh...would have dragged you over one way or another.” Chanyeol settled between his legs and stroked Sehun's member. It had taken a couple rounds before Chanyeol had been confident enough to touch Sehun's private region still not use to being intimate with guy parts.

 

“And it's a thank you for loving me,” Chanyeol said and leaned down, licking Sehun's slit.

 

Sehun tried to say he didn't really have a choice in loving Chanyeol, but a moan escaped instead as Chanyeol lowered his mouth around Sehun's shaft. Besides, the Cupid Book had never said his name. If Luhan or Jongin had been across the street right then and ran over, Chanyeol could have just as easily pulled one of them out of the way. There was still that bit of randomization to it that kept Sehun on edge, but still comfortable enough to willingly fall into this love.

 

He sat up a bit and grabbed Chanyeo'sl hair watching the other man bob his head up and down. It was hard to stay quiet with how Chanyeol used his tongue. There had been an occasion when Sehun had found himself suddenly not alone in the shower. That had been the first time Chanyeol had gone down on him and it was obvious Chanyeol had been considering it since Sehun had come over that day, being secretive about what he was looking at on his computer. Some of it seemed as if he was trying to remember how to do it, but then there was that tongue that had a mind of it's one. A very dirty mind.

 

A loud moan escaped Sehun as Chanyeol moved a hand to stroke Sehun's balls and he did this weird thing where he curled his tongue over as much of Sehun has he could and sucked, the roughness of Chanyeol's tongue and wet suction always sending a vibration of pleasure through Sehun's body. He tugged on Chanyeol's hair wanting to see his face. The elder lifted lidded soft eyes up at Sehun. He popped his lips off Sehun's member and licked like a puppy at Sehun's tip, picking up the precum that spilled from it.

 

“You've gotten better at this,” Sehun groaned.

 

Chanyeol just smiled at him, all teeth showing and cheeks flushed before going back to his deed. He licked a rough line up the underside of Sehun's erection and Sehun had to brace himself with both hands behind him at the pleasure that came. Sehun wouldn't lie, he had had better blow jobs, but none this caring and that excited him this much.

 

“I'll cum...” Sehun warned. “Let me...condom.”

 

Chanyeol pulled off with a whine probably wanting to finish Sehun off, but Sehun remember the last time Chanyeol had tried to swallow him down and ended up coughing for five minutes while getting the taste out. He didn't think he was prepared to try again just yet and the atmosphere right now would be ruined.

 

Sehun reached to the beside dresser and pulled out a condom and lube. Chanyeol climbed back on Sehun's lap and wrapped his arms around Sehun's neck. Sehun smiled at him and leaned in, pecking Chanyeol's lips.

 

“Where there enough condoms?” he asked.

 

“Plenty,” Sehun said and opened the lube coating his fingers then grabbed Chanyeol's flatter than preferred, but firm butt cheeks and spread them.

 

Chanyeol lifted his hips to give Sehun room for his fingers to do their work. “Did you know the bigger the condoms the more expensive? The clerk looked at me funny.”

 

Sehun chuckled, sliding one finger in. “I'm sure they are. Sorry I'm using all your money on sex.”

 

Chanyeol shrugged and kissed along Sehun's jaw. “Maybe you should just get tested so we can forget a condom every now and then.”

 

Sehun stuck another finger in and started moving them. “I'll get on that then.”

 

Chanyeol whined softly into his ear as Sehun stretched him. Since his first time, Chanyeol had gotten use to the discomfort of stretching and just shifted around Sehun's fingers to get use to it, using the time it took to make his own marks on Sehun’s skin. Sehun enjoyed them, the feel of Chanyeol's tongue lapping at his neck or sucking a wet spot that would be bright and showy when he went to work at the bubble tea shop the next day. His hands roamed up and down Sehun's back, sometimes grazing nails or digging into his skin at the more painful parts, and his long legs laid awkwardly around Sehun's hips.

 

Sehun pulled his fingers out and handed the condom to Chanyeol. Chanyeol pulled away and started opening the package as Sehun made his own kiss marks on Chanyeol's neck, one hand roaming his chest and tweaking nipples he was eager to suck. The moment the rubber was comfortably rolled over his erection, he grabbed Chanyeol's hips and placed him over him. Chanyeol steadied himself with hands on Sehun's shoulders as he lowered, staring down the whole time. His body quaked at the intrusion and Sehun caught his lover's mouth, opening his own to let Chanyeol distract himself from the sting of penetration.

 

Chanyeol was a great kisser even if awkward in everything else.

 

It was their system that when Chanyeol started moving himself, he was ready and Sehun kept a firm hold on his lover's hips as he thrust hard upward. Chanyeol broke away from the kiss to scream in pleasure and probably still a bit of pain. Sehun readjusted his angle and watched as Chanyeol bounced on his lap. His strong legs moved him with more ease than Sehun's previous temporary lovers who took this position.. Sehun continued his kisses along Chanyeol's skin, down his long neck, collarbone, and Chanyeol leaned back to give Sehun a bigger canvas to mark, eventually giving him access to rosy brown nipples that he all too excitedly leaned in and sucked. Chanyeol scratched his nails on the back of Sehun's neck and moaned his name, downward motions of his hips becoming desperate and uneven. Sehun moved hard and quick into Chanyeol, eyes fluttering between closing in pleasure and watching Chanyeol in pleasure. Chanyeol erupted first, falling backwards on the bed, hips still on Sehun's. Sehun shifted to his knees still inside and continued looking down at his spent lover all covered in his own cum.

 

“Chanyeol,” he moaned when he came. He only waited a second before pulling out and wadding the condom up, then reached to the dresser for another one.

 

A hand pressed his shoulders and kisses attacked his scratched up neck. “Wait a second, Sehun, I'm not ready for another go yet.”

 

Sehun retracted his hand and turned to Chanyeol. He grabbed the other man's face and brought him down for a kiss. Chanyeol kissed back and pulled a sheet over them, laying down on the bed.

 

“You want to cuddle?” Sehun asked.

 

“You don't like cuddling?”

 

Sehun smiled. “I'm okay with it. You're warm.”

 

“It's going to get hot soon, that won't be a good thing then,” Chanyeol joked.

 

Sehun laughed, but groaned as the scratched on his neck stung.

 

Chanyeol reached around him and rubbed them. “Sorry about that.”

 

“I'm not complaining. I don't mind your kinks,” Sehun said.

 

“Kinks? I have kinks?” Chanyeol honestly looked surprised.

 

“You like to scratch and you like using your tongue. You're like a puppy with talons.”

 

Chanyeol raised a brow. “Taloned puppy? Well you're a baby then. You're always...sucking my nipples.”

 

Sehun laughed. “I just like nipples. You don't like it?”

 

Chanyeol pouted. “It feels good, but...I'm not a girl.”

 

Sehun leaned in and kissed one of Chanyeol's nipples making the other man gasp. “It's not like that...at least it hasn't been for a while.”

 

Chanyeol lifted a hand to stroke through Sehun's hair. “What do you mean?”

 

Sehun placed a hand on Chanyeol's hip. “Well, I told you I lost my virginity to my freshmen teacher, right?”

 

Chanyeol only nodded and Sehun continued.

 

“Well...she was the first older female to really take notice of me...I...I didn't really like her, but she was warm and nice and taught me how to do things even if they're not the things I should have been learning. I knew it was wrong the whole time, that's why I took the first opportunity I could get to get out of it.”

 

“I'm sure Kyungsoo and Suho made a big fuss about it,” Chanyeol said and chuckled.

 

Sehun stayed silent for a minute, his fingers digging into Chanyeol's hips. “I've...never told them or Luhan. Jongin knows, but he...he would never tell Luhan. I mean, with how I was before you, I was fine really, but they'd blame it all on being sexually assaulted.”

 

“Oh...you...I guess you would call it that.”

 

Sehun shrugged. “It wasn't like I _didn't_ want it, but I didn't _want_ it either. I tend to take whatever is offered to me.”

 

“Except for my love,” Chanyeol said., both hands now rubbing Sehun's neck and back and it wasn't until then that Sehun noticed he had curled up against the other, nose taking in the smell of Chanyeol's neck, his free hand stuck awkwardly between them, fingers caressing Chanyeol's abs.

 

“I...I don't like taking things from people that are important to me. I just...I moved out originally so I didn't have to watch my family stay the same while I grew old and I...he just...he just left Chanyeol!”

 

Chanyeol's hands pulled Sehun closer. Sehun closed his eyes. His chest felt tight. He felt like a baby.

 

“I won't leave you,” Chanyeol said, deep voice soft in his ear. “I'll grow old with you, Oh Sehun. I love you.”

 

Sehun held Chanyeol back, tight. How young had he been the last time he had let someone hug him like this? How long since he had last been completely comforted? When had he stopped being so jaded?

 

With firm hands pressed to his back and a deep voice whispering sweet  nurturing words into his ear, Sehun understood why Park Chanyeol was perfect for him. He was everything Sehun was missing in life.

  
“I love you too, Park Chanyeol.”

 


End file.
